Ends of the Earth
by creativeminds1896
Summary: "To the ends of the earth, would you follow me? There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see. To the ends of the earth, would you follow me? If you will, have a say my goodbyes to me..." - Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron. In Riverdale, having two new girls in one year is practically a record. And just after the death of Jason Blossom? Archie/OC (slow burn). Spans season 1.
1. The Sleepy Town

Chapter 1: The "Sleepy" Town

* * *

 _Into the woods I went_

 _With my two best friends_

 _We would lay in the grass_

 _Over the river came_

 _Clouds of gray, we got lost in the day_

 _We got lost in the day_

Into the Woods by The Lower 48

* * *

Riverdale.

The name that weighed heavily on Rosie Green's mind like metaphorical lead.

Riverdale.

That was the place that she would be spending the last of her high school years in.

Riverdale.

From the research she had done late into the night before, it was small town. It wasn't exactly the familiar, rainy Portland. It didn't have the towering skyscrapers that seemed to stretch high towards the stratosphere. There was no hustle and bustle of Ubers, foot traffic that went on for hours, or ginormous, arching bridges that went on for miles.

Riverdale.

It had a diner or two, one franchised supermarket, an elementary and middle school combined, and a singular high school. The nearest town was all the way across Sweetwater River with only one bridge connecting them.

Riverdale.

It was so vastly dissimilar to anywhere the Green family had been before, it terrified them all.

"Rosie, I can hear your boring Indie music out of your headphones."

Rosie continued to stare out the car window at the Midwestern landscape. She was lost in her own world, deep in thought about Riverdale – and her new school.

Her younger brother reached over in annoyance and tugged on her long side braid.

She immediately snapped to attention, turning towards the boy. She frowned deeply and yanked her earbuds out of her ears.

"Seriously, Will?" she questioned, slightly irritated. "You could have just tapped on my arm or something."

"You wouldn't have paid attention," he replied, snarky, folding his arms.

"You are one of the most inconsiderate people I've ever met," Rosie shook her head, shoving her headphones back into her ears.

She knew Will was probably ragging on her that very moment, but she tuned them out by turning her music up louder.

Rosie knew that the artists she listened to weren't exactly the most popular in the world, but she enjoyed their original melodies and lyrics. There was a particular art to them that, according to Rosie, seemed more authentic than anything else she had ever listened to.

Suddenly, her music was ripped away from her the second time that day. Before she could reprimand her brother yet again, she was interrupted by her father.

"Rosie, you can't scold your brother like that," Kenneth Green reproached.

"Dad, he pulled out my earbuds when he could have just nudged me," Rosie defended.

"Rosie, listen to your dad," Carol Green added on firmly. "Your brother said he tried saying something, but you didn't listen. He had the right to get your attention in any way he could."

Rosie sighed.

 _Typical parents taking Will's side on everything,_ she thought, doing her best not to roll her eyes at Kenny and Carol.

"Fine," she gave in, snatching up her headphones and jamming them back into her ears.

As she did so, she overheard her mother muttering darkly.

"If only she was more like Will…"

But it didn't surprise her. She had been hearing that phrase ever since Will had come into the world just a year and a month after she had.

 _Perfect_ Will with his _perfect_ grades and his _perfect_ looks inherited from their _perfect_ parents.

Rosie realized she was starting to sound like Lucius Malfoy when he whined about Harry Potter.

But she knew it wasn't an exaggeration. William Henry Green was basically a Greek god to her parents. He had inherited their mother's beautiful, wavy, golden blonde hair and their father's tall, lean, muscular physique; not to mention their father's emerald green eyes. At only fourteen (almost fifteen), Will had already made State championships with his varsity basketball team, had a four-point-oh in junior high, been offered several modeling contracts from many a Portland agencies, and had a few ex-girlfriends. He was popular and charming, dressed like a typical millennial jock, and a complete, total douchebag.

On the other hand, Rosemary Patricia Green was like the black sheep of the two kids. She had stick straight, medium ash brown hair that fell to her mid-torso; always kept tidily in a side braid. She had inherited the short genes from her father's side, although Kenny Green was over six foot. Technically, she wasn't short, but compared to the rest of her family, five foot seven inches was small. She was of average weight and build, but stayed on the slimmer side. Her eyes were a mix of sterling silver and periwinkle blue, usually switching between the two depending on what colors she was wearing. Rosie did fine with school, earning at three point five, although she was wicked smart. She dressed like a Portland hipster. She was outgoing, loyal, and brutally honest. She was a failure in her parent's eyes, although she hated to think so.

 _"…through the brush we found, something running round; we went opposite ways, we went opposite ways…"_

Rosie decided to push the negative thoughts about herself and her brother to the back of her mind and focused on the lyrics of _Into the Woods_ by The Lower 48.

As the trees flew past, Rosie noted that they looked almost like giant, green, bigfoots chasing their car. They sped silently down the empty highway towards the boring town of Riverdale.

Rosie had no idea that the sleepy place she had read extensively about late the night before would be so much more awake than she ever thought possible.

* * *

An hour later, Rosie felt a hand smack her upper arm. It was Will again, this time gesturing up to the front seat of their car.

Rosie paused the song, then removed her earbuds. "Yeah?"

"We're here," Carol announced to them all, voice full of fascination.

Rosie swiveled in her seat to watch the town go by out her window. Her eyes grazed over a sign that read, WELCOME TO RIVERDALE: THE TOWN WITH _PEP!_ She smirked slightly at the faded typography. How very…Midwestern.

As they passed into town, the sky opened and rain pelted the front window like bullets.

"Geez louise," Kenny muttered as they pulled off down a short, wide, muddy road.

Rosie glanced around at the landscape. Construction equipment littered the property; pouring water soaking the peeling, yellow paint on most of the machines.

"Why are we at your new job site?" I inquired.

"I thought we were heading straight to the new house," Will agreed. "I need to get my basketball stuff out to practice for tryouts for the next week."

"Dad had to reschedule the meeting with his new boss. The original one was tomorrow when the movers came to help with all of our stuff," Carol explained.

"My hair is going to get ruined in this rain!" Will moaned.

Rosie huffed out a breath, holding in her disbelief of her younger brother.

"Rosie, did you bring your umbrella?" asked her mother.

Rosie held up the clear umbrella that had been resting on the seat next to her. "Yeah."

"Give it to your brother."

Rosie's eyebrows shot up. "We can share."

"There's not enough room for you _and_ me. My hair will get wet," Will explained, as if it made the most sense logically. He seized the umbrella and tugged it from his sister's grasp.

"You are the whitest white girl of all time," Rosie shot back. "You're such a brat!"

"Rosie, don't talk to your brother like that!" Kenny chastised.

"What, we can't share the umbrella? That's too much for him?" Rosie reasoned calmly.

"Just let him use it, will you? You are the biggest teen drama queen," Carol lectured as they came to a stop a little way away from the trailer. "It's only sprinkling. You'll be fine."

Just as she spoke, the sky rumbled deeply and a crack of light flashed quickly across the dark sky. The rain shook their car, almost as if it was trying to overturn it into the mud.

Rosie sighed as Will stuck his tongue out at her.

 _Very mature,_ she thought.

Her mom, dad, and brother all leapt out of the car, umbrellas up and shielding them from the lake that was dumping on them outside.

Rosie didn't have a coat with her in the car, as it was late August. She glanced down at her thin, charcoal gray, V-neck long sleeve shirt with crisscross straps in the front, distressed blue jeans, and burgundy converse. Her hand brushed against her layered, silver disk chain necklaces that she wore constantly. She would be drenched in seconds. But she couldn't help it.

She grasped the handle, counted down from three, then jumped out of the car straight into a deep puddle. She gasped as water filled her shoes and saturated her socks. She slammed the door and scurried after her family, who were almost already into the building.

She ran towards them, calling out for them, but they quickly shut the door behind them.

Suddenly, Rosie's eyes were staring at dead, wet grass. Her knees and elbows ached. She had tripped on a small rut in the ground and tumbled down to the ground. Rain pounded into her back and ran down her face. Her glasses were spotty with water and dirt now.

She grumbled, cursing her inherent clumsy nature, then stomped up the stairs to the trailer. She opened the door, then quickly stepped inside and crashed the door after her.

Rosie turned and slumped against the door, catching her breath as she shivered from the sudden breeze of air conditioning.

She realized that Will, Carol, and Kenny were staring at her in puzzled incredulity. A scruffy man was standing in front of them, his arms crossed in a dark green flannel. A ginger-haired teenage boy who looked about her age was leaning on a desk just behind him. The man and the boy's expression were both of confusion, but it was sympathetic confusion.

Rosie shook out her sleeves and moved the wet tendrils of now dark brown hair out of her eyes. She smiled slightly at the man and the boy as she stood.

Rosie was a social girl, unafraid of new people and challenges.

She walked up and stood right next to her mother. She shoved up her sleeve and held out a hand for the man to shake.

"Hi," she greeted warmly, "I'm Rosie Green."

The man grinned and accepted her handshake, which was firm. "Fred Andrews. Nice to meet you, Rosie. Kenny never mentioned he had a daughter."

Rosie shrugged. Unfortunately, she was used to her father purposefully not mentioning her to others.

"I must have forgotten," Kenny replied with practiced ease, a fake smile playing around his mouth.

"That's alright," Fred Andrews nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I sometimes forget my kid, too."

"He's not lying," chuckled the redhead.

Rosie grinned at the two. She could tell she was already going to like the father and son.

"Oh, hey, you're here," Fred joked, pretending to be startled as he turned and saw his son. He waved his hand at him. "Get over here."

The boy stood and trudged up next to his dad.

"This is my son, Archie," he introduced. Archie waved at them all.

"Nice to meet you," he addressed them all kindly.

Will pushed his way past Carol and Kenny, making Rosie groan inwardly. He was going to try to brag and get this kid to be friend, as always. And, as always, the kid would fall under Will's charm spell and be his best friend until Will found somebody better.

"Hey, I'm Will," said Will, a cocky tone lacing his voice. "I'll be a freshman at Riverdale High this year."

Archie politely nodded once. "Oh, hey, cool. I go to Riverdale. I'll be a sophomore."

Rosie raised her eyebrows hopefully. "Really? I will, too – "

"Will played varsity basketball back in Portland," Carol interjected, completely cutting off her daughter. "He carried his team all the way to the state championships."

"Wow, good for you," Archie replied graciously. His eyes flickered to Rosie. "Did you say you'll be sophomore, too?"

Rosie's jaw almost dropped all the way to the carpet. Archie wasn't sinking into Will's act. He was paying attention to her. It threw her off a little, but she caught herself.

"What? Oh – yes. Sorry. I'll be a sophomore."

"Hey, what a coincidence!" Fred said cheerfully, patting Archie's shoulder. "Archie and his crew have been running amok in Riverdale for years now. I'm sure you'll fit right in, Rosie."

Fred send a wink Rosie's way and she laughed. Archie chuckled at his dad's antics. Fred turned back to the entire family. "Speaking of Riverdale, why don't I get Kenny situated? Arch, why don't you tell Rosie more about Riverdale High since you'll probably have some classes together?"

Rosie glanced over at Carol and Will. Carol's eyes were frozen on Fred and Archie, as if they were insane for not wanting to interact more with Will. Will seemed merely offended. They shuffled off into a corner of the room near the door.

Kenny was falsely joyful and went off to the back of the trailer to talk with Fred Andrews. Archie smiled over at Rosie, who smiled back. She loved making new friends.

Archie noticed her mother's mystified gaze on the two of them. He turned to Rosie. "Do you need a towel?"

Rosie's nerves instantly came to life. Goosebumps popped up all over her body as a drop of water ran down the back of her neck. She hadn't realized that she was dripping all over the floor, a puddle where her feet were planted on the carpet.

She winced. "That'd be great. Sorry about the floor."

Archie waved it off as he dug through a cupboard to her right. "Hey, it's just a little water. At least it's not a milkshake or something, right?"

"That'd be nauseatingly sticky and incredibly arduous to clean up," she replied, squeezing rain out of the end of her braid. She wiped the lenses of her glasses with her sleeve.

Archie snickered slightly and handed her a large, soft towel. She graciously accepted and wrapped it around herself.

"I look like a fluffy burrito," she smiled.

Archie laughed again. "Yeah, you do kind of, don't you?" He pointed to a sofa. "Do you want to sit down?"

"Why not?"

She shuffled over to the sofa and sat down carefully on a comfy cushion. Archie sat down exactly one cushion away.

"Have you lived in Riverdale your whole life?" she asked.

Archie nodded. "Yep. I was born here, too."

"I always kind of wondered what that would have been like," she told him. "I was born in Portland, but since dad's a contractor, we've moved all over the place."

"How long are you here for?" Archie wondered.

Rosie smiled. "Dad promised we wouldn't be moving until after my senior year."

"Hey, that's awesome! It'll be nice having a new face around Riverdale, you know? Our town is so small and there's been some bad stuff going on lately," he said.

Rosie's eyebrows scrunched. "Bad stuff?"

Archie looked over at Carol and Will, then lowered his voice. "Jason Blossom drowned in Sweetwater River last month. He was in our grade and big football star. The town has been calling him the 'Golden Boy' of Riverdale ever since. The town hasn't been the same since."

"That's so interesting," Rosie blurted. "I don't mean like, interesting as in 'wow, the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell-why?' but as in, 'wow, it's interesting that small towns are so upturned by something like accidental deaths,'"

Archie's facial expression was one of misunderstanding.

"I've never lived in a town where the population is less than 100,000. This is all new to me," she clarified.

Archie's thick red eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Rosie nodded. "Los Angeles was the worst."

"You've been to LA?"

"I lived there for a few years."

"And you didn't like it?"

She shook her head. "It's so funny to see Southern Californians get caught up in rain. It's like the sky is falling. Portland gets so much rain, it's not even funny. I like the rain and clouds more than sun."

Archie's voice lowered again, as if he was telling her a significantly important secret. "The only reason I'm asking is…I've gotten really into music this summer. I was thinking that after high school, I might move down there and try to get a record deal."

"Are you serious?" Rosie questioned quickly. "Do you play, write, sing…?"

"All three," Archie replied rapidly. "Why? Do you?"

"Yeah, all three! What instruments?"

"Guitar, just guitar. What about you?"

"Guitar, ukulele, piano, and drums."

Archie looked taken aback. "Did you parents pay for all those lessons?"

Rosie shook her head in disappointment. "My parents don't exactly…support me in my decisions to pursue music. I had to teach myself with instruments I got off craigslist. But when did you start playing guitar?"

"My dad's not too happy I'm focusing my time writing songs when I spend all day working with him here at his company, so I understand. I started playing just a couple years ago, but I didn't start practicing more until this summer," Archie nodded.

"We should jam together sometime," Rosie suggested.

"We definitely should," he agreed, grinning widely.

"What kind of music inspires you?" she wondered.

"One of my favorites has to be – "

"Rosie, we're leaving!"

The girl hung her head and sighed, then called back. "I'm coming." She turned back to Archie. "Hey, feel free to swing by whenever you're free this next week. Your dad probably has our new address. Bring your guitar and a pencil."

She stood from the couch and unraveled herself from the comforting towel.

Archie took it back and nodded, smiling. "Yeah, definitely."

"Rosie, let's go!" demanded her mother, starting to head out the door.

"Okay, I'm just saying goodbye," she explained.

"Hurry it up!"

"I am, mom."

Rosie turned to address Archie. "But, uh, hey, it was great to get to talk. It'll be nice to know at least one person on the first day of school."

"Oh, hey, you should come over this next week and meet my best friend, Betty," Archie told her hurriedly. "You'd probably get along well."

"Really? That would be spectacular!"

Carol banged the door closed for emphasis, telling her daughter to get done faster.

"Shoot, I really need to go. But seriously – thanks."

She hurried towards the door, braid flying out behind her. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Andrews!"

"Nice to meet you, too, Rosie! Welcome to Riverdale!" he yelled back at her.

"Thank you!"

Archie watched her leave through the blinds. She had to catch up to the car, which had started to roll away without her. Archie frowned.

"What was with her parents?"

"I think you mean, 'what was with her family?'" Fred corrected darkly. "Archie, that is a prime example of what it looks like when parents pick a favorite kid. Poor Rosie isn't treated like she should be."

"Why?" Archie wondered sadly. "She's great."

"I know, I can tell you two will be friends. But I have no idea," his dad replied, shrugging as they two watched the Green family car drive away into the stormy evening. "Watch out for her, will you? Kenny will be a great contractor, but someone who treats their kid like in front of strangers worries me."

"Yeah, I will, dad."

* * *

 **Welcome to the Riverdale fic** _ **Ends of the Earth!**_ **Thank you so much for reading this first chapter! I hope you enjoyed the introduction of my OC Rosie and her family. There's a lot more I have in store for Rosie and her journey as a character as she navigates that tumultuous plot that is the show of Riverdale.**

 **I've noticed there's a lack of Archie/OC stories on this site, so I really wanted to make a quality contribution to the Riverdale collection here on FanFic. If you'd like to read more about Rosie and how she fits into Riverdale, please follow and review! Feedback would be lovely. :) Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. The Song that Everyone Sings

Chapter 2: The Song that Everyone Sings

* * *

 _Tomorrow I'll be quicker_

 _I'll stare into the strobe light flicker_

 _And afloat I'll stay_

 _But I'm quite alright hiding today_

Hiding Tonight by Alex Turner

* * *

Unpacking.

Rosie hated this technicality of moving the most; especially when it came to her recording equipment and instruments. It took her three hours the next morning to set it all up.

"Wow, that's a lot of stuff," Carol told her from her bedroom doorframe.

"I've always had this much equipment, Mom," Rosie reminded her as she tuned her guitar. "It was all in my closet last time. I had a bigger closet in Portland."

"Speaking of which, do you think you could find a different space to set this all up?"

Rosie immediately glanced up from the instrument. Her heart fell. "What do you mean?"

Carol shrugged. "It might be kind of loud if you record up here."

"I'm in the attic," Rosie told her nervously, hoping upon hoping that she wouldn't have to disassemble her hard work. "Your room is on the ground floor."

"Right, but Will's is just below yours. He's going to need his sleep when basketball starts and with all your racket up here…" Carol replied quickly.

Rosie sighed. "Mom, I promise I'll record quietly and…and I'll set a music curfew! No singing or playing after ten!"

Carol crossed her arms. "That just won't work. You'll have to find another space. Clean this up."

"But, Mom, please -;"

"No buts. Just do it."

"Mom this is really unreasonable."

Her mother scoffed. "Unreasonable? It's unreasonable for your younger brother to get a good night's rest?"

"No, it's unreasonable for you to ask me to move my recording stuff after three hours of setting it up and making sure I have the acoustics right and – come on, Mom. You can't be serious?" Rosie defended herself.

"I am totally and completely serious, Rosemary," said Carol firmly. "And don't question my logic. I am your mother, and I know what's best for your brother and for you. Now find a place for your junk, okay?"

And before Rosie could get another word in edgewise, Carol stomped down the stairs, her tiny espresso shot coffee dangerously close to spilling.

Rosie carefully set down her guitar and groaned. She dreaded having to pack everything back up and find a place somewhere in their house to record. And to set it all back up again?

She grabbed a throw pillow and screamed into the soft cushiness. Her family was so inconsiderate sometimes, it hurt.

But she did as her mother asked, even if she was bitter about it.

It took her another three hours to put everything back into their boxes and cases.

She was standing there, wondering how and where she would record her covers and original songs. She had been pushing back a cover of _Green Light_ by Lorde for at least a month and was itching to get her voice out there on SoundCloud again.

She heard her text ringtone go off on her nightstand.

Her eyebrows scrunched. She didn't recognize the number.

 **Hey, Rosie! It's Archie. I have a few song ideas but need some help with lyrics. Are you interested?**

She grinned and immediately typed a message back.

 **Hi! Yeah, of course! I'm always up for helping with lyrics. When do you want to meet up?**

Archie's response was instantaneous.

 **Awesome! :) Does tonight work? Around 7?**

Rosie glanced at the time on her phone. It was already three. She looked down in dismay at her boxes of equipment and her cases of instruments. She had time to find at least a temporary home for them until then.

 **Yeah, 7 works! Where at?**

Archie didn't reply for a minute or two.

 **We can meet at my place if you want. I've got pretty basic recording stuff if we need it.**

Rosie's eyebrows raised in optimism.

 **I've got some really dependable equipment, but I've got nowhere to set up. If I find a place within the next four hours, then we could get your song recorded and partly produced. But my parents don't want my "junk" here.**

The ginger replied immediately.

 **I've got an empty garage that's never used. If you wanted, we could set up there. You'd be able to use it whenever.**

Rosie smiled widely.

 **That would be spectacular! Is that okay?**

 **Well, yeah! I'll come pick you up in my dad's truck and we can get everything loaded and set up tonight!**

 **You are the best! Seriously – I can't thank you enough. This means so much. :D**

 **Hey, I've got your back. What are friends for?**

Rosie adjusted her glasses and grinned.

 _Yes, yes, yes!_ she thought, elated.

She instantly started carrying everything downstairs, stacking it up on the front lawn near the driveway for easy pickup truck access.

Will was outside playing basketball the entire time, not once offering to assist his older sister with the heavy gear.

"What is all that crap?" he questioned her as she lugged the last box down the front porch steps.

"Recording equipment," she replied, voice strained.

She finally set it on the pavement and shoved it over to the driveway. "I'm keeping my guitar and ukulele here, but I'm sending my piano with Archie."

Will rolled his eyes. "That redhaired guy from dad's work?"

"Archie Andrews? Yeah," nodded Rosie.

"And why are you sending your piano with him?"

"He's got space for my recording stuff in his garage, so I'm going to set it up there. Mom doesn't want it in the house," she relayed. "Archie's into writing music, too, so I thought it was the perfect fit."

"Dang right it shouldn't be in the house. You sound like a dying raccoon when you record. Your stuff is so…sad," Will sneered.

"The word is _melancholy,_ Dumbo," Rosie retorted. "And if you think I sound like a dying raccoon, then you obviously haven't heard your own voice before. You have the most annoying speaking voice in the entire world."

"You're lying," Will sniped.

"You wish I was lying," snapped Rosie. "At least I'm not trying to kiss the upper classmen's asses. I saw what you were attempting to do with Archie last night. You really are desperate to be cool, aren't you? Well here's the reality, William – being cool doesn't get you a career after high school."

"It's called _being ambitious,_ Rosemary. You don't know crap about ambition. Can you even spell it?"

Rosie scowled. "Hey, leave my average English skills out of this!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I offending you?" mocked Will. "Can you spell _onomatopoeia_?"

"Can you find the square root of 75?" she shot back.

Will went silent, his eyes shooting daggers into her face. Rosie softened slightly. He was her brother, after all, and he was family. She felt slightly guilty for arguing over nothing. She sighed.

"Someday, you'll learn that what Mom and Dad praise you for won't get you anywhere, Will. Basketball is great, sure, but it doesn't last forever. Neither do four-point-ohs. Someday, you'll come to a crossroads in your life and you won't have anyone there to help you. I want to be there to help you. Please – I'm asking you now – drop the 'I'm better than you' act. We can be friends. I'll be there to help you when you get to that crossroads," she told him.

Will's facial expression changed immediately. Instead of getting mad or walking away, Will began to laugh. He sputtered and guffawed, almost rolling on the ground.

Rosie stood there, face blank. She had wanted him to soak it in – to at least consider what she was saying. He was her little brother. Wasn't she supposed to help him? To give him advice? The fact that he was basically throwing what she said back in her face like it was a joke hurt her. Her throat ached, as if tears were on their way.

Instead of letting him catch his breath to say something even more cruel, Rosie quickly walked back into the house. She left Will, still giggling, in the front yard.

She tore through the house, ignoring her mom (who just ignored her back, as usual). She stomped up to her new bedroom in the attic, slamming the door behind her.

She was always honest with people, but was more hesitant with her brother. Will had been put first by her parents ever since he was born, and Rosie was just about sick of them constantly raising him on the highest pedestal. Will's needs came before hers – always. True, he got more attention from others because of his handsome features, his athleticism, and success in academics, but that didn't mean Rosie wasn't unattractive, untalented, and ignorant…did it?

Rosie sunk down to the floor, grabbing her phone. She didn't want to be in her new house at that moment. She needed to play music and the only place she could do that was Archie Andrews' garage.

She checked the time. It was just after five. Archie would be done helping out his dad at the construction site by then. She only hoped he would be willing to hang out two hours earlier than planned.

She dialed his number and he answered.

"What's up, Rosie?" he greeted, seemingly slightly confused. "Is everything okay?"

Rosie sniffled. "Uh…that's a good question." She cleared her throat. "Hey, how would you feel moving the jam session up a couple hours to now? I just – my mom decided that I had to get my stuff out of the house and it's all just kind of…sitting in my driveway. You're done working, right?"

"Yeah, I'll head over now," he replied cheerily. She heard him call out to Mr. Andrews. "I'm going to pick up Rosie, Dad!" He addressed her once again. "What's your address?"

She told him where her new house was, then quickly hung up, snagged her ukulele and guitar, and rushed back downstairs to the front to wait for Archie.

Will was still outside playing basketball.

"Are you going to Archie's now?" he asked, almost as if he was genuinely curious.

Rosie did not feel like being civil in the slightest, but she managed to speak one whole sentence to her brother without going ham on his head with her guitar.

"Yep, just taking my recording equipment over, like I told you earlier."

Will did not engage again, thanks to Rosie's luck. However, her luck seemed to get even better when Archie pulled into their driveway not two minutes later.

He hopped out of the truck and shot her a smile. "Hey!" His eyes flickered down to the boxes, instrument cases, and bags. "Whoa."

Rosie shrugged. "I said it was a lot."

"And you weren't lying," chuckled Archie. "Let me open up the back and we can load it up."

"Sure," she smiled.

Archie grinned back and walked around to the back of the vehicle, pulling down on the end of his truck bed. He locked it in place as Rosie began to pick up her equipment.

"So what's in all these?" he wondered as he took the box from her.

"I have two microphones, a couple amps, a switchboard for adjusting levels and such while recording, my laptop that's only got programs for recording and producing, a few pairs of headphones, my piano that is in several pieces at the moment, an electric drum kit, a Cajón, my guitar, my ukulele, and my guitar pedal. And lots of extra cords and wires for connecting things," she relayed.

Archie's thick, ginger eyebrows shot up. "And you paid for everything?"

"I've collected it up over the years from garage sales, vintage stores, craigslist, those kind of places," she nodded as they moved more things into his truck.

"Dude, you're ripped!"

Rosie stopped in her tracks and turned to her brother, a mystified expression on her face.

"What kind of comment is that?" she asked, puzzled.

"He's fine" Archie told her politely. He turned to Will. "Thanks, bro."

"How did you do that? Weightlifting?" Will continued in shock.

Archie chuckled slightly. "I've been working with my dad all summer at the construction sites."

"Dude, I should do that next summer," Will replied. "I'll get _huge!"_

"No you won't, Will," Rosie cut in. "The boys in our family aren't built like Archie, and that includes you. Trust me, I don't know if you remember, but Dad tried that when we were little and it just didn't work for him."

"Shut up, Rosie," Will countered snidely. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Wait a second," Archie interrupted. "Dude, calm down. She's just making a comment about genetics. Every family is different. She's not attacking you."

"You don't understand," the younger boy shook his head. "She's always saying this kind of stuff to me."

"You mean the truth?" Rosie laughed darkly. "Sorry my honesty is such a burden on you."

Archie held up his hands in surrender. "Remind me to not get you mad."

"No, when I get truly angry, I can't speak," she replied.

"You can't talk?"

"I just end up sputtering and making angry noises."

"It's hilarious," Will interpolated.

Rosie just shook her head as she loaded the last box.

Archie could tell Will was not the nicest brother, nor was he fond of Rosie. Rosie seemed to do her best to get along, but Will really baited her. He knew how to push her buttons and he did it well. He was a jerk.

"Let's go," Archie announced, slamming the bed of the truck shut.

"Sounds good to me," Rosie cheered.

Will ignored them as they left.

* * *

Rosie sighed as Archie halted the truck at a stop sign.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Rosie shook it off. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Does that happen a lot?" the redhead inquired.

"My brother making a complete ass of himself? Yeah."

Archie smiled. "I meant your brother picking on you."

"More than it should, but that's what brothers do," Rosie told him. "They're brats."

Rosie stared out the window. Archie glanced over at her, eyebrows raised and mouth set in a firm straight line. He wasn't convinced, but he wasn't going to say so.

His mind had been racing a lot lately. Geraldine Grundy filled his thoughts most of the time. He knew it wasn't healthy to think of a teacher in such a way, but after the previous summer's escapades, he couldn't help it. He hoped that spending time with Rosie writing music would distract him. A new girl in Riverdale would get the school talking about something else other than Jason Blossom's unfortunate death. Betty had even told him a girl from New York was going to be at Riverdale High this next week when school started, and two new girls in Riverdale was practically a record, especially when one new girl had a younger brother who was, obviously, going to play a large part in the sports community.

* * *

"What do you want to get started on?" she asked excitedly.

Rosie stood admiring her new setup in the Andrews' garage. Archie walked up and stopped next to her, crossing his arms. His eyes scanned the equipment, then he turned to his new friend.

"I have this song I've been working on, but I need another set of ears. You know, lyric-wise," he replied.

Rosie nodded. "I'd love to hear it."

Archie smiled slightly and went to exit the garage. "Let me grab my guitar!"

"Alright."

She went over to her laptop, which was resting on the keyboard, and sat down on a stool in front of it. If Archie wanted to record the song, then she needed to get the systems up and running so that they didn't have to wait for them to warm up.

Archie scurried back into the garage, carefully shutting the door behind him.

He pulled up another chair and sat down in front of her, tuning his guitar. "I hope you like it."

"I hope I do, too," she said. "What's it called?"

"The Song that Everyone Sings," he answered. "It's about -;"

Rosie stopped him. "No, don't tell me!"

Archie gave her a baffled look.

"I want to understand it as you sing," she explained. "I want to listen as if it's my first time hearing it on the radio."

"Oh, sure, that's cool," Archie nodded. "I like it."

Rosie wasn't sure what kind of sounds to expect from her new friend, but she waited in anticipation. She was afraid he would be awful. But then he started picking the strings. He wasn't lying when said he'd been playing for a few years.

And then he started singing.

" _Tales of the old, of the secrets we hold._

 _I want to be well._

 _I'm lucky to even feel love at all."_

Rosie grinned. He was amazing – singing, guitar playing, and songwriting skills in all.

He started strumming the acoustic guitar instead of picking the strings.

" _Words run like a race_

 _And maybe I spoke too late._

 _You try and erase_

 _Every memory, every shape._

 _But time holds them in place._

 _Tales of the old, of the secrets we hold._

 _I want to be well._

 _And maybe I'll never feel love at all._

 _It's the song that everyone sings._

 _It's the song that everyone sings._

 _It's the song that everyone sings."_

Rosie felt her breath catch in her throat as he transitioned from the chorus to the bridge. His voice was absolutely incredible and the lyrics were spectacular.

" _Where have I gone?_

 _And where have you gone?_

 _Take me back to summertime –_

 _Endless love and endless wine._

 _I want you._

 _Take me back to summertime –_

 _Endless love and endless wine._

 _I want you."_

Rosie clapped and cheered as he finished. Archie just laughed.

"Was it okay?" he questioned nervously.

Rosie's jaw dropped. "You gave me chills, Archie. Honestly, that was amazing! It was so honest and – and I loved what you were saying in the song."

The redhead grinned widely. "Is it ready to record?"

The girl nodded vigorously. "Uh, yeah. Without a doubt!"

"Awesome!" Archie exclaimed. "What do we do first?"

Rosie pointed to his instrument. "Guitar." She spun around in her seat. "I'll create a blank track and the first layer will be your chords. Do you have the order of switching back from picking to strumming the way you want?"

"Yeah," Archie replied. "Where do you want me to sit?"

Rosie stood from her laptop. "Stay right there. Let me get that mic."

She moved the equipment over and grabbed two pairs of headphones, then took out her phone. "Okay – here's what we have to do. You have to follow a metronome just for technical purposes, so that you can play in a steady rhythm. You know – no drums yet. Don't sing yet, because it's important you focus on playing guitar for now."

She plugged a set of headphones into her phone and gave it to Archie.

"This feels so official," he joked as he stuck the earbuds in and started the metronome.

"It's not, trust me," she giggled. "This is anything but." She hit a few buttons on the keyboard. "Okay, I've already set it to the time signature you played your song at, so all you have to do is press that one – yeah, that one there – and the beat will start. I'll point to you when I start recording and you just go for it, okay?"

Archie nodded.

Rosie started the program, then gestured to the ginger.

They recorded the guitar part two times all the way through and then chose which one sounded the best. Then, it was time for Archie's vocals.

* * *

"… _take me back to summertime –_

 _Endless love and endless wine._

 _I want you."_

Rosie and Archie sat listening to the song – on the computer. It was fully produced and finished.

Rosie had done some piano for the song, some rhythm, and layered some electronic bass over a few parts of the song. Archie wanted to do some extra harmonies over certain parts of the song, and Rosie even helped with a couple background vocal parts.

As the song ended, Rosie smiled hopefully. "What do you think, Arch?"

Archie's mouth slowly grew into a smile as his eyes flickered from the laptop to Rosie.

"I…I can't believe that those lyrics came from my head, that's what I think," he laughed. "I can't believe that it's actually _my song_ that's playing. I mean, this is crazy!"

Rosie laughed. "It's pretty cool to hear, isn't it?"

"It's awesome!" he agreed, "And you did such a good job producing it. Thank you so much, Rosie, for letting me use your recording stuff."

"Thanks for letting me house it here in your garage," she replied quickly. "You wouldn't have been able to if you hadn't offered to let me place it here."

"Well, now that you're here, don't you have something to record?" Archie nodded.

Rosie's eyebrows raised as she checked the time on her phone. "You know it's eight thirty at night, right?"

"It's summer and it's Friday," Archie reasoned. "I don't have work tomorrow and school doesn't start until Wednesday. We have time."

The brunette wrapped her dark red and navy blue flannel around herself and crossed her arms. She had to admit, she was itching to record that cover of _Green Light._ So she gave in, ignoring the fact that her parents would freak if she wasn't home by eleven.

"Okay," she decided. "My turn."

Archie smiled.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading this second chapter! I know it's just kind of a filler, but I wanted to showcase more of what Rosie's relationship is like with her family and for Rosie and Archie's relationship to grow a little more. You'll understand once we get into the pilot chapters. ;)**

 **Thank you all so much for following, reviewing, and favoriting! You all are the best! Here are my answers to your reviews:**

McFassy: Thank you so much! I hope you really enjoyed this chapter. :) The next chapters will be a lot more exciting, I promise!

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	3. First Days, First Impressions

Chapter 3: First Days, First Impressions

* * *

 _In the old days, there was enough_

 _The card games and ease with the bitter salt of blood_

 _I was in but I want out_

 _My mother's love is choking me_

 _I'm sick of words that hang above my head_

 _What about the kid? It's time the kid got free_

The Love Club by Lorde

* * *

Luminescence.

It was the name of the song Rosie had just written.

She sang the lyrics in her head as she played the chorus on her laptop in Archie's garage.

" _In the space between is where I stand._

 _Like a crack in the wall or_

 _a narrow valley winding round._

 _Nobody can tell what is my sound._

 _But some see my glow._

 _And I'm found._

 _My luminescence reaches out._

 _All it does is reach out."_

She sat back in her chair, smiling as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was excited to show Archie later when he came back from his dinner with Betty. She was hoping they would be able to record more of Archie's songs. His writing was excellent.

Fred Andrews still hadn't figured out Archie was so invested in his own music and helping Rosie with hers. Rosie wasn't sure exactly what he thought was going on whenever he saw them arrive and exit together from the garage, but he didn't question them outright, which was fine with her.

She knew her parents were happy to have her out of the house playing music. And she had an inkling Will was even more ecstatic than her mom or dad. Rosie had noticed that her younger brother had a strange grudge of some sort against her. She did her best to ignore it, but it was getting more difficult to avoid his begrudging comments. Archie always defended her if Will said something around him. But Will had caught on to this method and evaded the ginger whenever he showed up at the house – which had become quite often.

But it was now the night before the first day of sophomore year for them. Rosie was too invested in her music to feel anxious. Not to mention she was friends with at least one person already. Archie told her that he'd introduce Betty to her that night, anyways, and Betty had been assigned to show her and another new girl around school. Archie had mentioned that two new girls at Riverdale High in one year was practically a record.

As she filtered through the songs she and Archie had recorded on the system, the side door to the garage opened and two sets of feet stepped through.

Rosie turned to see her redheaded friend and a blonde with her hair in a high ponytail. She had a kind smile and bright eyes.

Archie immediately walked over and introduced them. "Rosie, this is my best friend, Betty Cooper. Betty, this is Rosie Green."

Betty held out a hand for the brunette to shake. She grinned as they shook hands.

"It's so nice to meet you, Rosie," she said warmly. "I've heard so much about you."

"All good, I hope," joked Rosie. "I've heard quite a bit about you, too, actually. It's nice to put a face to the name."

"Always," Betty agreed. "Honestly, it's so nice to see a new face. Riverdale's residents get a little stale after a while."

"Thanks," Rosie replied, grateful. "It's just nice for me to make another new friend. Don't get me wrong, Ginger here is great company, but I've missed any caliber of girl talk."

"I'll have you know that I am excellent at girl talk," Archie defended, jokingly pointing fingers.

The three teens laughed together.

"Archie tells me that you're a fantastic songwriter," Betty mentioned. "We've got a great music program at Riverdale High if you're interested."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rosie noticed Archie suddenly go tense in the shoulders at the mention of the music program. He flexed his jaw, making his chin stand out even more.

Rosie's eyebrows raised, trying to keep focus on Betty. "Really? That – that sounds spectacular. I'd have to see what kinds of classes that are offered and such, but yeah…that's spectacular."

"You should hear her stuff, Betty," Archie rerouted the conversation back to Rosie. "Honestly, it's amazing."

"I would love to," the blonde nodded.

"We've got a couple right here on the laptop if you're up for it," Archie said, gesturing to the technology.

"Is that okay?" Betty asked Rosie kindly.

"Fine with me," Rosie smiled back, then turned to Archie. "Which song should we play?"

Archie was already scrolling through the short list of solo songs Rosie had recorded. His head snapped towards her. "I don't recognize this one. Is it new?"

Rosie nodded. "I wanted to show you that one, actually, so that works perfectly." She addressed Betty. "It's called Luminescence."

Archie hit a key and the soft ukulele intro began over the speakers.

Rosie held her breath as the song played, unable to watch Betty and Archie's expressions. Instead, she stared at the floor, leg shaking up and down anxiously. Even with Archie's wonderful encouragement, which was new to her, she was still nervous to show him and his best friend her new song.

As the last chorus faded, Betty and Archie clapped fervently. Archie even made a big deal about giving her a standing ovation. Rosie's cheeks grew warm as the two applauded and cheered.

"That is an amazing song, Rosie," Betty complimented, grinning.

"I think it's going to be huge someday," Archie added on excitedly. "It's really relatable."

"Thanks so much, you guys," the songwriter said gratefully. "It means a lot for you to say so. Just spectacular to hear, honestly."

"Your parents must be so proud of you," gushed Betty, completely unaware of Rosie's situation.

Rosie bit her lip, holding back a sigh. Archie's eyebrows furrowed as he noticed the brunette's expression.

"As proud as my parents can be," she replied, her smile not reaching her eyes. But Betty didn't see that as she patted her new friend on the shoulder.

Archie, however, did notice. And the more he thought about how her parents treated her the night they met, the way her brother addressed her, the more worried he became. This girl had been severely neglected by her own family. Who deserved that? Definitely not Rosie.

Rosie was oblivious to these thoughts, of course, but had a few thoughts of her own.

 _They're not proud,_ she thought bitterly. _They're anything but proud of me and my music._

Rosie turned back to the laptop and shut it down quickly. She was happy to meet Archie's friend, but she had been there too long.

"Hey, I think I'm going to head back to my house. First day of sophomore year tomorrow and all…" she told them.

Archie stood quickly. "Need a ride?"

Betty suddenly felt a rush of jealousy, but it quickly faded as she realized that Archie was just being himself; a kind person. Besides, she had just met this girl, and as had he. They didn't know each other as well as she knew Archie. There was nothing to feel emotionally distraught over. Instead, Betty smiled.

"I should probably be going home, too. You know…my mom."

"Overprotective mother?" Rosie wondered jokingly.

Archie's eyebrows shot up, amused.

Betty smirked slightly. "You could say that. What about you?"

"Mine is worried that me being out late will make it so that when I come home and bound up the stairs to my bedroom, I'll wake up the athlete I have the pleasure of calling my brother," Rosie responded somewhat sarcastically.

"Ouch," Archie murmured, thinking of the consequences Rosie would have to face from her mom. He had seen the way she treated her own daughter in front of strangers, and wasn't keen on making Rosie survive what went on in the privacy of their own home.

"We'll walk you home before we leave, Betty," Archie told his best friend. He turned to his new friend. "She just lives across the street."

Rosie nodded. "Wow, you really have known each other your whole lives, haven't you? Classic small-town friends and all."

Betty nodded as the three exited the Andrews' garage. "Yeah. We've been friends since preschool."

"That's spectacular," Rosie acknowledged kindly.

Archie chuckled. "How is that spectacular, Rosie?"

"I've been moving around my whole life," she defended good-naturedly. "I always wished I had a lifelong friend that moved with me. A small-town, across the street friendship; just like yours, really."

"It's been a pretty great life," Betty grinned, glancing shyly up at Archie.

Rosie's attention was instantly diverted to the atmosphere between the two Riverdale natives.

 _Betty is completely and utterly in love with this boy,_ she thought, amazed. _And Archie is, of course, completely and utterly oblivious to it all._

"It has," the redhead agreed, smiling as he looked ahead.

"It was great to meet you, Betty," Rosie said genuinely as they came to a stop in front of Betty's porch steps.

The two girls hugged briefly.

"It was great meeting you, too, Rosie. See you tomorrow at school?"

"You're giving me that tour, remember?"

"I am!" Then the blonde turned to Archie and gave him a bear hug. "See you tomorrow, Arch."

"Bye, Betty," he replied.

Betty waved over her shoulder as she walked up the steps and into her house.

As the door closed, Archie and Rosie spun on their heels and went back to the Andrews' truck.

Rosie thought about what she had just discovered about Betty and chuckled slightly.

Archie glanced over, puzzled but amused. "Why are you laughing?"

"It's just funny how much you can learn about a person from only knowing them a few minutes, that's all," she clarified, smiling to herself.

"You mean Betty?" Archie wondered, still confused.

Rosie nodded.

"And what did you learn about her?" joked Archie as the two climbed into the pickup.

"She has feelings for a certain redhead I might know," Rosie hinted, slamming her door shut.

Archie turned the keys in the ignition and the vehicle growled to life. He sent her a skeptical glance.

"You're kidding."

Rosie smirked. "Oh, but I'm not."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely one hundred percent."

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?"

"Because Betty is my best friend. She would've told me if she liked me that way."

"She might surprise you. You never know."

Archie just shook his head in disbelief, a grin gracing his features.

Rosie changed the subject as they drove towards her house. "I've been meaning to ask…are there many other local artists in town?"

"There's this girl band called Josie and the Pussycats," Archie replied.

Rosie's eyebrows scrunched. "That's the name?"

Archie nodded. "Yeah. They won a competition last year. They're pretty good."

The brunette still was put off by the title. "But why Josie and the Pussycats? Why not something like Josie and the Panthers? Josie and the Rockets? But… _Pussycats?_ That's setting them up for numerous dirty jokes as well as the mockery of the entertainment industry as a whole."

"I'm not the biggest fan of the name either, but they've been dominating the music scene here in town," he explained. "I've actually been thinking about asking them whether they would sing a few of my songs. I wanted to show them what I've been working on and see if they're interested."

Rosie raised her eyebrows, thinking. "I've always wanted to write for other artists, too. Do they go to Riverdale High?"

"Yeah, they usually practice in the auditorium before school. I kind of want to talk to them tomorrow. Want to come with me?"

"Sure," she agreed. "That sounds great."

As they pulled into the Green's driveway, Rosie's face fell.

Archie frowned at his friend's expression. "Are you going to be okay?"

Rosie turned slowly towards him, face unreadable.

"Do you ask this to all your friends all the time?" Rosie wondered.

Archie was puzzled at the question. "Well…yeah. I want to make sure my friends are happy."

A smile slowly crept over Rosie's mouth, making Archie smile back. She laughed slightly as she opened the passenger side door.

"I'll see you tomorrow, dork."

"Hey, you're a dork, too!" he called back through his open window as she walked towards the house.

As Archie drove away, he realized something – Rosie had never answered him.

* * *

Rosie walked to school alone. Will had biked ahead, not wanting to be associated with his 'uncool' sister. But Rosie didn't care. She liked the time she had alone with her thoughts.

The air was crisp, a slight breeze sweeping her brunette bangs back and forth. The familiar feeling of butterflies whirled around in her stomach. Being a new girl in school was never easy. However, the thought of there being a second new girl made her less anxious. No matter how many times Rosie had transferred schools, she had never been as nervous as she was entering Riverdale High School's front doors.

As soon as she entered its hallow halls, the befuddled stares began. Her face had never before been seen around, and most of the students had been with each other since elementary school. She soon realized that she and the other new girl, whose name she was completely clueless about, would be in for a lot of ogling later in the day.

There was one gaggle of girls in particular that seemed unnecessarily concerned with scrutinizing her fashion choices, especially the ginger-haired girl who seemed to be the ringleader. A red flannel, gray t-shirt with the words 'cute AF' on the left side of her chest, ripped black skinny jeans, and pearl white Doc Marten-knock off boots were stylish in Portland, but apparently, as Rosie was judging by their unimpressed glares, not as popular in Midwestern America; and, specifically, in a small town like Riverdale.

Rosie stumbled around, trying to find the office. When she did, she was greeted with a nice secretary who shoved a schedule in her hand and showed her the way out.

Rosie adjusted her glasses as she walked, squinting at the small print on the paper. As she carefully studied the class names, more nerves melted away. She was satisfied with the class choices in the school, despite the size, and was actually looking forward to a few of them.

 _World History, Biology, English Literature/Creative Writing, choir…_ Rosie read. _English Literature will certainly be interesting. I have a hard time reading quickly so –_

BAM!

Rosie thought she had run into a wall. She caught her balance as she tripped backwards, putting a hand out to steady herself.

She glanced up from her schedule to see that it wasn't a wall she had crashed into, but a boy. And that boy just happened to be her friend, Archie Andrews. It had taken a second for her to really see who it was. She wasn't used to seeing him in a varsity jacket.

"You should watch where you're going, Ginger," she joked.

Archie looked relieved. "I'm so sorry, Rosie! Did you get hurt?"

"Just my pride," she joked. Then she noticed two other teenage boys standing slightly behind Archie. Her eyes flickered between them.

"Hey, guys, this is my friend Rosie," he introduced. "This is Moose and Reggie."

The two boys eagerly greeted her.

"Hi," she said warmly. "Nice to meet you."

The taller one, Reggie, punched the redhead in the shoulder, smirking as if he and Archie shared a deep dark secret.

"Nice going, Andrews!"

Both Archie and Rosie shared a confused frown.

"What are you talking about, Reg?"

Reggie and Moose also shared an expression, but it was an unconvinced grin.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he said again.

"Uh, from the looks of it, he doesn't at all," Rosie noted. "But I think I know. So, no, Reggie, Archie and I did not have sex."

Archie's face immediately was fire engine red, brighter than his hair. His eyes went wide.

Moose laughed as Reggie gulped.

Rosie smiled sweetly at them as they backed slowly away.

"Yep, just…hustle on to your first class, kids. Don't make assumptions about people you just met, okay? Yeah, I think you know what I mean now, don't you?" she chuckled.

Archie turned to the brunette. "Wow…you really are honest with people, aren't you?"

"They would have just kept bothering you about it," she replied truthfully. "I'm sure that would have gotten annoying. Besides, it's not true, so why be embarrassed about it?"

He nodded distractedly, looking around the hallway. "I guess so. Hey, we should find Josie and the Pussycats."

Rosie immediately agreed. "That sounds spectacular."

Although Rosie was comfortable defending her friendship with Archie, the topic of conversation was slightly awkward for the both of them. Doing what they had planned the night before was a nice distraction from the uncomfortable conversation.

 _Not that I would have minded if that were true…_ Rosie thought casually. Her heart stopped and she snuck a peak at Archie as they made their way to the auditorium. He was focused on their destination, not making eye contact with her at all.

Her eyes went slightly wide and she felt her cheeks grow a little warm.

 _Where the hell did that come from?_ She thought, completely and utterly baffled. _Sure, Archie's cute for a redhead, but…what on earth…? You're new, Rosie. Archie is the popular, football-playing, perfect boy-next-door type that's a secret, tortured musical genius. That would, and will, never happen. Besides, he's not even your type! You're friends. And having even one friend is a good thing for you. Don't screw it up by being weird!_

Rosie shook herself out of those strange thoughts as they carried on.

Archie came to a sudden halt in front of a closed door. He pointed.

"They should be in here."

Rosie said nothing as he opened the creaky door and stepped inside. She glanced around at the space backstage as Archie shut the door behind them. They both looked ahead to onstage, where three girls sat.

One girl in the middle held a guitar, strumming and singing the lead as the girls beside her sang background vocals and harmonies. Rosie smiled slightly as she and Archie quietly walked forward.

"… _we won't back down._

 _Write this in the sky._

 _We own the night and we fear nothing._

 _Call us outrageous, rockin' out phases._

 _Lost in the moment, clawing our cages…"_

Rosie's eyebrows shot up. Those lyrics were fire. They knew how to write real songs, for sure. She was positive her and Archie's lyrics would fit their sound and label just fine.

Suddenly, the main girl stopped singing. She glared exhaustedly at the two figures before her. She cut off the other girls.

"Excuse me," she said, holding up a hand, "this is a closed rehearsal."

Archie took the lead. "We're sorry, we just…Josie, right?" He gestured to the outspoken singer. "We were hoping we could talk to you about some songs that we wrote?"

Before Rosie could add anything, Josie interjected.

"Let me just stop you right there." She set down her guitar and stood, striding confidently forward. "You're staring at our pussycat ears, which is rude, but let me break it, and them, down for you. The Pussycats are building a brand; creating a signature look, okay? We're telling a story."

"And we get that," Rosie interrupted kindly. "I love that you're being unique and doing what you need to do for your image and publicity and such. I get it. It's just that we think our music could help with that. I think you'll love what Archie here as to offer in terms of lyrics. He's amazing and I think they'd fit what you're going for really well."

Josie crossed her arms and smirked, sending a scoff to the girls behind her, who merely giggled in amusement.

"You're obviously new to Riverdale, so let me tell you why that's impossible to agree to. Last year, we won Rockland County's battle of the bands," Josie explained, cocky.

"That we did," added the girl on the right.

"This year," continued Josie, "we'd like to build on that success, continue telling our story with songs we write."

"We get that," Archie emphasized. "It's just…"

"Read my glossed lips Justin Gingerlake," she scoffed, pointing at Archie. She turned to Rosie. "And Hipster Zoey Deschanel…Not. Gonna. Happen."

She waved condescendingly at the two of them.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"So that's it? You're not even willing to listen to one song?" Rosie pushed.

"What did I just say, Deschanel? Hit the road. We've got songs to write," Josie fired back.

Archie pulled on his friend's arm. "Let's just go. They're not interested."

Rosie's stomach churned as she and Archie left the auditorium.

"What a bitch," she muttered.

The two walked out the door and paused.

"That was annoyingly frustrating," Rosie commented.

Archie sighed. "Yeah, it was. Hey, I've got to talk to Coach Clayton about football. I'll see you in class?"

"You sure will," Rosie agreed. "See ya."

"See ya later!"

Rosie's shoulders slumped as she watched her friend stalk away.

Little did she know, as her conversation with Archie concluded, another one began at the end of the hall.

"There's the hottie I saw you with last night! The red-headed Ansel Elgort…and who's that girl?" Veronica Lodge commented, grasping tightly to Betty's arm.

"Yeah, who's that?" Kevin Keller added.

"That's Rosie Green. She's the one Archie wanted to introduce me to. She's new, too, and she's really nice," Betty relayed. "She writes songs and is absolutely amazing. Archie said they've been working together on music a lot this past week."

Kevin cocked an eyebrow. "Is that the effervescent green monster of jealously I hear?"

Betty rolled her eyes, denying it to be so, as Veronica asked a very important question.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

Betty and Kevin replied in unison, each saying something different.

"No, we're just friends."

"No, he's straight."

The two shared an amused glance as Veronica watched Archie walk away from Rosie.

"In that case, mind putting in a word? I've tried every flavor of boy but orange."

"Actually, to clarify," Kevin explained, "Betty and Archie aren't dating, but they are endgame."

This is where Rosie joined the conversation.

After watching Archie walk away, Rosie turned to see three people staring directly at her. One, she recognized, the other two were complete strangers.

"Hi, Betty," she greeted.

Betty smiled kindly. "Hi, Rosie. How's your first day going so far?"

"Well, I kind of got shut down by Josie and her band of Pussycats, so, um…so far? Not great."

"Let me make it better for you then. Rosie, this is Kevin Keller and our other new Riverdale High resident, Veronica Lodge," Betty introduced.

"Thank god, another newbie like myself!" said the dark-haired girl. "I love your style by the way. Very Pacific-Northwest hipster. Like an amped up Jess from New Girl!"

Rosie grinned widely. "Thank you! It's so nice to meet you."

But the name Lodge sparked something in Rosie's memory. Where had she heard that name before? Then, it clicked into place.

"Oh, Lodge? Like…New York City Lodges?"

Veronica's face fell and she crossed her arms. Rosie's mood immediately dropped. She knew that that probably wasn't the best thing to say, especially because what happened to Veronica and her family was so publicized.

"Great. Even the other newbie is in on the crap-fest. Hear all about it on E-news? Or did you bring it up because you thought it would help you feel better?" she snapped.

Rosie quickly tried to cover up the mess. "Oh, geez, I'm so sorry! I just…I knew I had heard your name before and I was trying to deduce where I'd heard it from…I'm so sorry."

Rosie was shocked to see that Veronica somehow adjusted herself and backed down.

"It's okay. I understand. It's probably strange seeing someone in person that you've heard so much about."

Rosie shook her head. "No, really, I just…I remember seeing the reports on snapchat, but I just…I knew I that had heard of you from somewhere. I'm not the type of person to try to shame anybody, especially someone I've just met. I apologize for the word vomit."

Veronica's eyes softened and she uncrossed her arms, putting a hand on Rosie's shoulder. "It wasn't right for me to jump to conclusions. Let's try this again. Hi, I'm Veronica."

"Nice to meet you, Veronica. I'm Rosie."

"And I'm Kevin," the taller boy jumped in. "I love your whole vibe, by the way. Very Portland."

"Funnily enough, that's where I'm from," Rosie told them.

"Are the donuts from Voodoo really as good as everyone says?" he inquired.

"Uh…they're good donuts, don't get me wrong, but there are better donuts out in that vast community for sure," she said, amused by the question.

She noticed Betty looking around the halls.

 _Maybe she's looking for a certain redheaded jock?_ Rosie thought.

"So…Betty," Rosie addressed the blonde as they all began to walk down the hallway. "I heard something about you and Archie being…endgame?"

Betty's gaze slid the floor as she blushed profusely. "That's what Kevin says."

"I ship it so hard," he agreed, nudging her with his shoulder.

"Then you should ask him to the semi-formal then," Veronica commented.

Rosie nodded. "I agree. That would be a spectacular opportunity for you to tell him!"

"She should," said Kevin, "but I heard it might be getting canceled. Because of what happened to Jason. They're going to tell us at the assembly."

Rosie shook her head. From the very few details Archie could spare, it sounded like a horrific situation. She was disappointed to hear that the town had lost someone so involved in the football and, apparently, someone who was respected by a lot of the student body.

Betty went quiet when Jason was mentioned. Veronica, on the other hand, was still in the dark about the Blossom boy's tragic demise.

"Who's Jason and what happened to him?" Veronica mentioned casually.

Betty and Kevin shared a cringe while Rosie sighed. They all looked at Veronica, whose expression quickly changed to one of concern.

"Was it really that bad? It's not like he died, right?" she giggled uncomfortably, trying to dispel the nerves.

Rosie's face scrunched. Eek. Very wrong thing to say.

"Uhhh…actually, that's exactly what happened," Kevin announced, breaking the silence.

Veronica's eyes widened. "Really? You're not kidding?"

Betty and Rosie shook their heads.

"Wait, how do you know about Jason?" Betty asked curiously.

"Archie mentioned him a few times. He said that it was pretty shocking to everyone. Something about…drowning in a river?" Rosie replied.

"Oh my gosh," Veronica exclaimed, obviously in shock. "Does he have any siblings here at the school?"

"One," Kevin replied, as if disappointed.

This time, it was Rosie and Veronica that shared a confused look.

"Why do you sound like that one sibling killed your cat?" Rosie joked.

Kevin seemed bitter. "Because knowing Cheryl, she probably did."

* * *

"Thank you for that moment of silence."

Rosie sat next to Archie during the back-to-school assembly. His football friends, Moose, and Reggie, sat on the other side of him. She was glad he served as a barrier between them. She wasn't fond of Reggie's carefree attitude about girls.

Veronica and Betty had invited her to sit with them, but Archie had already found her during first period English and made her promise to join him at the assembly. Rosie had noticed that Betty's cheeks went pale at the mention of Archie asking Rosie to sit next to him. She really had it bad for this boy! Rosie apologized to Betty after informing them, saying that she only saw Archie as a friend and music partner. Betty had told her she wasn't bothered by it, but Rosie could tell that it was tearing up the blonde inside.

Rosie frowned at the bright, redheaded girl at the front of the gym. It was Cheryl Blossom, the twin sister of the late Jason Blossom. Rosie had realized that it was her and her crew this morning that had seemed so judgmental of her fashion choices. She felt bad about assuming the girl's character so quickly. But what Kevin had said about her capability of murdering his cat had troubled her slightly.

"Many of you were lucky enough to have known my brother personally. Each and every one of you meant the world to Jason. I loved my brother. He was and always will be my soul mate. So, I speak with the confidence only a twin could have. Jason wouldn't want us to spend the year mourning. Jason would want us to move on with our lives. Which is why I've asked the school board not to cancel the Back-To-School semiformal."

Cheering erupted from the section below us.

"But rather," Cheryl continued, "to let us use it as a way to heal, collectively, and celebrate my brother's too, too short life on this mortal coil. Thank you all."

As the Blossom twin spoke, Rosie noticed Archie staring down into the teacher's row of chairs. She followed his fixed gaze to see a young, female teacher with glasses gazing back. Their stare was relentless, as if they both were reliving a shared memory.

Rosie put a hand on Archie's hand as the rest of the school applauded. The physical contact seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he had been in.

"Are you okay, Arch?" Rosie wondered, troubled by the intensity in his eyes.

Archie shook himself into reality and looked over at Rosie with an unconvincing smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was staring into space."

"Right at the teacher's row?" Rosie asked cautiously, testing the waters.

"There's a weird scratch on the floor next to one of the chairs," he lied. "I was just thinking of some song lyrics and just…kept looking at the scratch, I guess."

The other students began standing. The assembly was over.

Archie stood, and so did Rosie.

"Hey," he told her quickly, "I've actually got to talk to one of the teachers about class later. I'll see you in Bio?"

Rosie let him believe she was completely buying into his fibs. "Yeah, I'll catch you later."

"Great."

And with that, Archie rushed off into the crowd. Rosie saw he was making a beeline for that bespectacled teacher, who was doing her best to work her way through the mob of students.

Rosie had trouble with curiosity. It got her into trouble.

But she couldn't help but give in.

She followed Archie through the horde from a distance. He had a harder time getting through because he was so tall, but Rosie didn't have a problem. Sure, she was somewhat tall for a girl, but people parted ways because they didn't recognize her. They stepped back when they realized they hadn't seen her before.

 _Maybe being a new girl today has its advantages,_ Rosie thought contentedly as she finally got through to the doorway.

She stalked Archie until he bounded straight up a staircase, calling out the teacher's name. She waited at the bottom behind a wall, peering around the corner; straining her ears for the slightest snippet of conversation. Thankfully, the halls had excellent acoustics, and she was able to hear every single syllable of every single word.

"Geraldine!" Archie cried.

 _Who calls their teacher by their first name?_ she thought.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Andrews?" she asked formally.

Rosie didn't realize how big those glasses were on her tiny frame until then.

 _At least my glasses fit my face shape and size,_ she commented. _Wait, what? Just listen, you idiot!_

"Can we talk, Ms. Grundy, please?" pleaded the ginger.

"It depends. About what?"

There was a strange lapse in dialogue for a moment.

"Music," Archie finally concluded. "You're the music teacher. Can we talk about music?"

"Of course. Make an appointment. During my office hours, my official office hours."

And with that, Ms. Grundy rushed away up the next flight of stairs.

It was hard to see from down below, but, to Rosie, it looked like Archie had wanted to say so much more to the music teacher.

She slumped up against the wall, sighed, and put a hand on her head.

 _What the hell was going on between Archie Andrews and Ms. Grundy?_

* * *

 **That took me so long to write! I apologize for making you wait so long, but I got so stuck at the beginning of this chapter. It was so hard to get through! But we made it and I'm so excited to keep writing more.** **It's going to keep getting more exciting and more interesting with each chapter.**

 **I hope I stayed true to the characters! If any of them seem a little OOC, just let me know kindly, please! I want to stay true to the CW's depiction of these classic characters.**

 **Also, THANK YOU FOR SO MANY REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES! It's insane how much you all seem to be enjoying the story. You all are wonderful! Here are my responses to all of you lovely people:**

lovelymvf: Thank you! Not going to lie, I totally ship Barchie on the show. Here…? Not so much! 😊

xxDreamWalkerxx: Thanks so much! I hope this fulfilled your expectations!

Raging Iron Thunder: Haha it's funny you say that because I'm very American! I'm from the Pacific Northwest. Maybe it's more of a Pacific Northwest thing? And thank you!

Naruhina1519: Thank you so much! 😊

strangerthanfanfiction713: Thank you! I agree! There's actually another Archie/OC story on the site that I've yet to read, but it's got a solid following, so I'm actually super excited to read that soon. 😊

marvellove: SAME ahhhh!

Sanati: Thank you! I hope this is enough of a chapter for you!

thebestpeopleinlifearefree: First of all, LOVE your username. Taylor Swift is one of my favs! Secondly, thank you so much! I really appreciate your comments. 😊

Fancymuffinsandwannabecakes: Thank you! Cakes and muffins sound really good right now for some reason… 😉

LapisLazuliRose: I love, love, love that you reviewed! Thanks so much!

gabrielle: You are so kind! And I'm so glad you picked up on that reference! 😊 I actually don't know a site that has a lot of Archie/OC fics on it, so I'm sorry! That's honestly why I started writing my own. Not to mention, KJ Apa is a beautiful man. 😉

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I don't know when the next one will be out, but I'll do my best to write when I have time. You all are lovely!**


	4. Friendships

Chapter 4: Friendships

* * *

 _Tired of seeing adventures on café walls_

 _Think I'll take a turn from the known road_

 _Think I'll write a tale of my own_

 _I'm going southbound_

 _to where the ocean's flirting with the coast_

Tiger Striped Sky by Roo Panes

* * *

"Rosie!"

The brunette paused in her tracks and spun on her heel, pushing herself away from the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Who had called her name? She hoped and prayed that Archie, who was still at the top of the stairs watching Grundy rush off, didn't hear them.

Her question was soon answered as Betty Cooper came into her line of vision.

Rosie was relieved to see her. "Hey, what's up?"

"I just wanted to check in with you," Betty told her. "Are you finding your classes okay?"

She nodded. "I am for the most part. Do you know where World History is located? I've got…"

"Brunner?" Betty guessed with a smile.

Rosie grinned and nodded.

"He's in room 212. I've actually got that class next, too. Can I walk with you?"

"That would be spectacular, also considering I don't know where room 212 is," laughed Rosie.

She was so thankful that Archie hadn't seen her spying on him and the music teacher. The shock of their interaction still plagued her, the scene on replay in the back of her mind.

 _It's possible Archie may be having an affair with a teacher,_ Rosie thought. _I also could be going crazy and reading way too far into the situation and jumping to insane conclusions._

She had to continually keep herself in check to stay focused on Betty and their own conversation as they traipsed down the hall towards class.

"What did you think of the assembly?" the blonde inquired.

"It was…depressing," Rosie commented dully.

Betty chuckled slightly. "Yeah, that's usually what happens when someone from school drowns in a river."

"Cheryl didn't exactly seem too fazed by it all, though, so that was weird," said Rosie, thinking back to the redhead's attitude towards the whole ordeal.

"Cheryl Blossom has always been a special kind of person," said Betty awkwardly.

This made Rosie laugh.

"What?" giggled Betty.

"Betty, you are so kind with the way you talk about people you so obviously dislike."

Betty cringed. "Am I that obvious? I try not to be."

"I wish I could be more like that," Rosie told her wistfully. "I have a bit of a problem when it comes to speaking my mind. Well, more like telling things the way they are, which rubs a lot of people the wrong way."

"I like it," Betty concluded, nodding.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's refreshing in a town like ours."

"Why do you say that?"

Betty sighed. "My parents run the local newspaper; the Riverdale Register. They twist words and rewrite stories the way they want them to happen. I'm just tired of them printing lies about this town. They've completely glorified Jason's death, which is wrong, despite what they feel about him and what happened with my sister."

Rosie frowned. "What happened with him and your sister?"

"Polly and Jason dated for a while. Then something happened. I honestly don't know. And Polly had a…mental breakdown," Betty relayed sadly. "My parents sent her to live in a group home."

"You must really miss her," Rosie said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry."

Betty shrugged. "There's not much I can do about it now. My mom is just so overprotective about me and my friends and where I am, where I go, what I do, who I do it with…"

Rosie's eyebrows shot up. She could relate.

 _Speaking of relations,_ Rosie thought dejectedly, _there's my brother now._

And there stood William Green, eagerly chatting up a couple of football players that just happened to be Reggie and Moose. Rosie rolled her eyes at the trio, disgusted and not surprised that Will had chosen those boys to hang around with.

Unfortunately, Reggie spotted Rosie before she and Betty could scurry away fast enough.

"Hey, Rosie! How's it going?" he called, smirking.

Rosie shook her head in annoyance and tried to pass them without any trouble from her brother or the meatheads.

Betty frowned at them all in confusion.

"Dude, that's my sister," the girls heard Will scold.

 _"That's_ the unattractive sister you told us about?" Moose questioned, as if in disbelief.

"Dude, that's the girl that Archie banged this summer! She's totally hot! And she's with the hot, goody-two shoes prude of Riverdale High, Betty Cooper," Reggie told him.

"Keep your pants on, Mantle," Rosie spat bitterly as she and Betty stomped by. "Nice to see you, too, Will."

As soon as the boys were out of earshot, Betty nudged her new friend with her elbow.

"That was your _brother_ hanging with Reggie and Moose?" Betty questioned in skepticism.

"The bane of my existence," Rosie replied flatly. "He seeks out the most popular guys in school and manipulates them into hanging out with him until someone better comes along. He's a complete douchebag."

"He can't be that bad if he's related to you," Betty said optimistically.

Rosie smiled. "You are too nice, Betty, but Will and I don't get along. We have very different views of the world and how to survive in it."

"But he's still your family, right?"

Rosie was quiet for a moment, thinking over what it meant for her to call Will her family. What was a family? Whatever it was, she was sure it wasn't what she would called her parents or brother. They hadn't been a family in a long time.

"I don't really know anymore," she replied quietly.

"Hey," said Betty softly, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder.

They stopped right outside of the classroom.

Rosie glanced up at Betty's empathetic smile.

"If you need to talk to someone, I'm here," she told Rosie. "I want to be here for you."

"Thanks," Rosie said gratefully, smiling back.

Rosie was surprised that anyone was showing such an interest in her besides Archie. Usually, when she moved to a new place, there was only one person that was even vaguely up for becoming friends with her. To have two more people from the same grade that were already friends with so many other people to offer to be there for her? It was unfamiliar territory for her. But she was appreciative and grateful.

* * *

Rosie stood at the back of the line in the cafeteria, arms crossed, waiting for the processed crap that claimed to be food.

She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Spinning on her heel, she found the gesture came from the other new girl, Veronica Lodge.

"Hey," grinned Veronica. "How are you doing?"

"Not terrible," Rosie replied, grinning back. "How about you?"

Veronica shrugged nonchalantly. "This place is nothing like New York. But it's a fresh change. I like it. True, the jocks here are much more…"

"Moronic?" Rosie provided jokingly.

Veronica laughed. "To say it honestly, yes."

"I feel that this school in particular has a fair amount of moronic jocks," Rosie nodded. She spotted her brother at the front of the lunch line, jostling his new friends from the football team around like an idiot. He caught her eye and a look of disgust crossed his face. "I should know since I live with one."

"Your brother plays football?" Veronica wondered, looking at Rosie's line of sight.

Rosie shook her head. "No, basketball. But he sure is buttering up the football players, isn't he?"

"He's a boy. They're always trying to impress each other in an immature manner," Veronica pointed out.

"I guess so," Rosie replied. She turned back to look at the shorter girl, who asked a question before Rosie could speak one syllable.

"So what do you like to do?"

"I'm a songwriter," Rosie told her. "I post covers on SoundCloud and YouTube."

"Wow, that takes courage," Veronica commented, pleasantly surprised. "You seem like a girl with a lot of courage."

Rosie chuckled. "I don't know about courage."

"You seem honest, and I like that," decided Veronica. "I appreciate someone who is open with others."

"I try to be," Rosie agreed. "What about you? What do you like to do?"

"In New York, all I did was shop and party," Veronica said grimly. "I'm still trying to figure that out. However, I do enjoy a well-written, classic novel."

"Well, if you're at all interested in reading more classic novels, I've got a whole bookshelf full of them," Rosie offered.

"Do you? I may just have to take you up on that offer, Rosie."

The two new students continued to chat about classic books they enjoyed as they moved through the cafeteria line.

As they carefully made their way down the steps with their lunch trays, they discussed where they should sit.

"Betty invited us to sit with her," Veronica said, eyes scanning the outside tables for a blonde ponytail.

Rosie observed the other students in their cliques. She saw a boy with a gray, crown-shaped beanie sitting alone on the farthest right table. He wore dark colors and had black hair. In front of him was a laptop, where his fingers flew across the keyboard. She was tempted to ditch Betty and Veronica to sit with this boy. He seemed like he would be the type of person she would have been friends with back in Portland.

But before she could kindly tell Veronica the bad news, the raven-haired girl spoke.

"I see Betty, Archie, and Kevin," she announced. Then she started down the small flight of stairs below them, making a beeline for their new friends.

Rosie's eyes flickered back to the darker haired boy, who was, coincidentally, staring back with a stoic expression on his face. She quickly looked down at her food, and then at Veronica, who was already at the bottom of the steps.

"Come on, slowpoke," she joked.

"Just…trying to spill anything," Rosie made up an excuse.

Out of the corner of her eye, as she passed a table full of varsity jackets, she spotted Will. She rolled her eyes and walked faster. She needed to avoid him at all costs.

As the two girls approached the Riverdale residents' table, they heard music. A familiar melody caught Rosie's attention. She addressed the trio as she and Veronica stood closely by.

"Hey, I think I recognize that song," she joked.

Archie and Betty looked up from the laptop and smiled. Kevin gestured to the two open spots next to him.

"Well, you should," Archie countered quickly, amused. "Not like you produced it or anything."

Two musicians shared a laugh.

"I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good," Kevin chimed in.

"I was in awe when he first played it for me," Rosie admitted to the boy next to her. "I was blown away by the lyrics, the vocals, everything."

"Wait, that was you singing?" Veronica deadpanned in awe. "Something you wrote?"

"Yeah, it's a work in progress," said Archie humbly.

"No, it's great," corrected Betty.

"It's incredible, actually, the little snippet I heard," Veronica agreed.

"It would not have sounded like that if it weren't for Rosie," Archie denied.

Rosie shook her head as she popped the lid off her soup cup. "Okay, that's ridiculous. You would have made it sound just as amazing even if you didn't have access to my recording equipment."

"I think he was talking about the production value," Kevin clarified. "Because it is awesome."

"So, Archie, is that your thing? Music?" Veronica questioned. "Are you doing something with that?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," Archie nodded. "So how are both of your first days going? Good?"

Veronica and Rosie shared a somewhat amused look. They had been asked that question a lot that day.

"Math class here is going to be a breeze compared to my advanced calc class in Portland," Rosie told them. "But I keep getting weird looks."

"Small town," Kevin replied. "Most people here have been with the same people since we were in diapers. Two new hot girls with two completely different looks? You're bound to turn heads."

Rosie laughed. "That's sweet of you, Kev."

"Well, and not to be a complete narcissist, but I thought people would be more…" Veronica started.

"Obsessed with you?" finished Kevin. "Any other year, you'd be trending number one for sure. This year, though, it's all about Cheryl trying to win Best Supporting Psycho Oscar for her role as Riverdale High's bereaved Red Widow."

"Hey, I should go," Archie interrupted. "I've got that meeting with Grundy and then football tryouts, so."

"You play football, too? What don't you do?" inquired Veronica rhetorically.

Rosie raised her eyebrows as Archie flew from the table; partly due to the fact that Cheryl Blossom was flouncing over in their direction.

Kevin immediately got down to business. "Before you ask, Blue Jasmine, no, she has not invited him to the dance yet…"

"Still?" Rosie interrupted.

"No, not yet, and don't talk about Archie," Betty fired back rapidly. She went quiet as Cheryl came into earshot.

"Veronica Lodge," she smirked. "I'd heard whisperings." She turned an unimpressed gaze to Rosie. "Ah. My friend Josie told me all about you. Decided to intrude on the sacred Pussycats rehearsal time? Tsk tsk. What a shame." Her focus went back on the other girl. "I'm Cheryl Blossom. May I sit? Betty, would you mind?"

Betty shot Rosie an awkward glance and shuffled down the bench.

"So, what are you four hens gossiping about? Archie's Efron-esque emergence from the chrysalis of puberty?"

Betty's wide eyes settled on Veronica. She shook her head.

"Extracurriculars," Veronica improvised. "Weatherbee wants Rosie and I to sign up for a few."

 _That's a lie,_ Rosie thought jokingly.

"Cheerleading!" exclaimed Cheryl. "You must. I'm senior captain of the River Vixens."

"Is cheerleading still a thing?" Kevin said sarcastically.

"Is being the Gay Best Friend still a thing?" Cheryl shot back.

"Obviously," Rosie muttered, taking a bite of her grilled cheese.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Cheryl wondered in a fake, sugary-sweet voice.

Rosie shrugged. "I said, obviously."

"And in what mockery of the English language does that mean?" the redheaded girl probed.

"It means exactly what I said. Kevin is obviously still one of Betty's best friends, so yes, being the Gay Best Friend is still a thing," Rosie said honestly. "I think Kevin has a point. Cheerleading is becoming a thing of the past. We're moving forward into a brighter future of real athletically-inclined sports."

Betty looked horrified, while Kevin unceremoniously held back several snorts. Veronica was not daunted, however, when Cheryl completely dismissed everything Rosie had just said.

"Some say it's retro," she continued, making an obvious jab at Rosie. "I say it's eternal and iconic."

"At Spence, I sat at the top of the Elites' pyramid. I'm in," agreed Veronica. "Betty, you're trying out, too. Rosie, I'd tell you that you needed to, but I think your speech enlightened us all on your current position."

She and Rosie shared a small laugh.

"Of course! Anyone is welcome to try out, but Betty's already got so much on her plate right now…" Cheryl glanced down in disgust at Betty's lunch. Rosie frowned at the snobby redhead. "…and being a Vixen is kind of a full-time thing. But open to all!"

Cheryl stood gracefully and leaned against the table, still addressing the raven-haired girl. "Follow me on Twitter and I'll do the same. My handle is cherylbombshell."

As she walked away, Betty rolled her eyes. Kevin snorted.

"That made my day, Rosie," he told her.

"Glad to be your new source of entertainment," she joked.

"Okay, okay, Betty, you can go ahead and hate on cheerleading like Miss Wannabe over here…"

"Hey!"

"But if Hipster Prince Harry…"

"I'd love to be a cheerleader," Betty confessed. "It would look great on my college applications. But, last year when I tried out, Cheryl said I was too fat."

"'Too season 5 Betty Draper,'" Kevin told Veronica excitedly, referring to the show _Mad Men._ "It was a great line, but not at all true."

Betty seemed unconvinced of the forced empathy.

"That's a little harsh," Rosie commented.

"That's tame for Cheryl Blossom," Kevin relayed, eyebrows raised.

"Well," said Veronica, "you're a total smoke show now. I mean it. As hot and as smart as you are, you should be the Queen Bey of this drab hive. Look, if you want to be a River Vixen, I'll help you prep. I have moves."

"Okay, you know what? Show me your moves," Betty approved.

"Yes!" cheered Veronica. "You will not regret this, girl." She turned her attention to Rosie. "So. Rosie. You said you were a songwriter?"

"I am," Rosie nodded.

"She's just as good as Archie. And, please don't repeat this to him, but I think even better," Betty complimented.

"Really?" Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Do you play any instruments?"

"Guitar, piano, ukulele, and drums," said Rosie. "I also produce music. I helped Archie produce a lot of his songs this past week."

"You should hear this song she played for me last night," gushed Betty. "It's incredible."

"I'd love to hear your music sometime," Veronica told her.

"Same," Kevin chimed in.

"Well, thank you, guys," Rosie blushed. "You will soon."

"And speaking of doing something soon, we should all go dress shopping for the semi-formal," Veronica suggested.

"When?" Betty inquired.

"How about…tonight?"

Rosie shrugged. Anything to stay away from her house even longer. "That works for me."

Betty smiled. "Today after Vixens auditions?"

Veronica nodded. "Why not?"

"I'm in."

"I think I'll stay out of this hang out," Kevin said, eyebrow cocking. "Dresses aren't exactly my thing."

"We weren't expecting you to, Kev," Betty giggled.

"My family's chauffeur can drop us off and pick us up downtown," said Veronica. "Girls night!"

Rosie was so happy to have found people who wanted to hang out with her.

But as the conversation continued further to skin tone and the best shade of whatever color looked most flattering for a dress, the brunette zoned out. She turned slightly in her seat to see the dark-haired, beanie wearing hipster staring back. They held each other's gaze, something Rosie wasn't expecting. He raised her eyebrows at her once, expression neutral, then went back to whatever he was writing on his laptop.

Who was this boy?

* * *

Rosie sat on the bleachers next to the football field. She completed the little Bio homework that her teacher had given out quickly, wanting to work on a new song she had an idea for. Her notebook was out, as well as the piano app on her phone. Determining chords was an important aspect of songwriting for her, especially when it came to the melody.

C chord, D, A….

Nope. Too happy.

C, D minor, F…?

 _"Fog clouds a new perspective but that's alright…in a town of wonder, the news unfolds…"_

She sings the new lyrics aloud with the chords. There was something missing….

C, D minor, F, G…?

She tried it. It sounded right. She smiled.

"Rosie!"

A female voice caught her attention from the track. It was Veronica standing with Betty.

Rosie waved back.

"Come on down!" Veronica called.

Rosie smiled, slung her backpack over her shoulder, tucked her pencil in her songwriting notebook, and shoved her phone into her back pocket. She barreled down the bleacher steps. She jumped off the bottom stepped as she arrived at the track.

She noticed the uniforms. She was immediately overjoyed for her new friends.

"You made it! You both made it!" she exclaimed excitedly. "That's just spectacular."

"Even though you don't think cheerleading is a sport?" winked Veronica.

Rosie chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, even though I don't believe that cheerleading is a sport."

"Thanks, Rosie," Betty said gratefully.

"I just wanted to talk to both you and Betty about the realities of me," Veronica informed. "It sounds vain and self-absorbed, I know, but hear me out."

"Veronica very sweetly defended me during tryouts," explained Betty. "She wants to tell us why."

Rosie, although slightly confused, felt touched that the two girls thought of letting her into their deep discussion.

"And I thought, because you're new and Betty and I would like to get to know you better, that you might like to know more about me, too; given my current familial situation," continued Veronica.

The brunette nodded, glasses bouncing slightly. "I'd love to know more. We can sit up on this first row of bleachers, if you want."

The two other girls shrugged in agreement and filed in after Rosie. They sat three in a row: Betty, Veronica, Rosie.

There was a quiet moment between them as they watched the ginger haired Archie Andrews scrimmage on the field.

"When my dad was arrested, it was the worst thing ever," began the raven-haired girl. "All these trolls started horrible things about us. We'd get letters and emails saying that dad was thief, my mom was a clueless socialite, and that I was the spoiled, rich-bitch ice princess. And what hurt the most about it was…the things the trolls were writing were true. I was like Cheryl. I was worse than Cheryl! So, when my mom said we were moving to Riverdale, I made a pact with myself…to use this as an opportunity to become maybe, hopefully, a better version of myself."

Rosie shot the other new girl a sympathetic glance. That couldn't have been easy for her to endure, especially after only knowing one way of life. And to pick up the pieces of what's left of your family and move on? Rosie could only imagine.

"That's a lot of pressure," Betty commented solemnly.

"I couldn't have done it," Rosie agreed. She felt the urge to spill the beans on her own story. "I grew up with a family that didn't stay in one place for more than two years. Constantly packing, constantly un-packing, constantly saying hello and goodbye to new friends that then become old friends that then became only Facebook friends. When I turned twelve, I was tired. Emotionally, from the inconsistent friendships; physically, from the endless travel; mentally, from the…"

Rosie caught herself. She almost misspoke. Her family was her family, no matter how much they discouraged her or made her feel like dirt. It wasn't right to talk bad about them, no matter how much they had hurt her over the years.

She shook it off and carried on. "But after that, I vowed that making friends wasn't something I was interested in. I tried it for a couple years, but I couldn't anymore. So, when we moved back to Portland, I made the best of friends I had made in a long time. I didn't have many, maybe one or two, but they were my world. We were inseparable. But…then something happened and…and I lost them. When my dad told me that we would be in Riverdale until after I graduate, I was relieved, terrified…thankful. I'm just really glad to be here with you two."

"We're glad you're here," Veronica grinned.

"You've been through a lot, too, Rosie," Betty said. She looked like she wanted to say something else. She hesitated.

Rosie frowned ever so slightly. She spoke gently. "If you need to tell us something, Betty, don't be afraid."

Betty sighed, then spoke. "When Polly and Jason got together, it meant everything to her and nothing to him. And…and things got super intense and weird and toxic and my mom turned on Polly. Said Polly wasn't her daughter anymore, said all these awful things to her. Jason hurt Polly, but it's my mom who broke her."

Rosie, unaware of the Cooper-Blossom dating situation, merely raised her eyebrows. She didn't know Betty even had a sister. She assumed the sister was older, but not by much. Maybe a junior…?

"I'm sorry, Betty," the brunette told her sadly. "That's hard."

All of a sudden, Veronica raised her voice. "Archie!" She turned to Betty. "You're so doing this."

"What?" demanded Betty.

"Slaying your dragons, Betty Cooper, one by one."

Before Rosie could even grasp what was happening, Archie jogged up to the bleachers and leaned on the front railing.

"Hi, Teen Outlander," joked Veronica.

"Hey. Nice outfits, you two. Didn't join in, Rosie?" Archie greeted cheerfully.

"I don't think cheerleading is a sport," she relayed quickly. She wanted to make sure Betty could do what she needed – which was ask out Archie.

Rosie grinned in anticipation as Veronica addressed the two childhood friends.

"Betty here as something she wants to ask you about the Back-to-School Dance."

"It's very important," Rosie chimed in.

Betty glanced over at the two, eyes wide and mouth set in a firm line. She nodded, as if waiting for the other two to do it for her.

"Go on, Betty. Ask," prompted Veronica.

The blonde slid her sleeves over her hands and fidgeted nervously. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with…all three of us."

The confusion tumbled out of Archie, Veronica, and Rosie's mouth in succession.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Excuse me?"

Betty looked over at Veronica and Rosie with an expression of kindness. "It's both of your first dances at Riverdale. You should have someone to go with, even if it's just a friend."

Rosie was speechless. Many emotions ran through her head. The most prevalent included gratefulness, puzzlement, and annoyance. Betty was supposed to only ask Archie, not the other two girls sitting next to her. But she couldn't help but feel happy to be included. But something told her that going with Archie, Betty, _and_ Veronica was not something that she would enjoy.

"I mean, I'd love to," Veronica agreed, surprised. "Rosie? Verdict?"

"Three's a party, but four's a crowd," she replied. "Thanks so much for the offer, Betty, you're too sweet, but…I can attend as your…posse?"

The other three laughed.

"Very nicely put, Ro," Veronica nodded, smiling, using a new nickname for the brunette. "Archie?"

He faltered slightly, shifting his position on the railing. "I-I'm not really in the headspace for a dance."

"Oh. That's okay," Betty said, sounding defeated.

Rosie glanced over at Betty, disappointed for her new friend.

Veronica, on the other hand, was not about to take no for an answer.

"Totally unacceptable, Archiekins! We need an escort. Take a break from being a tortured musical genius and come spend a blissful evening with, not one, but two newly minted River Vixens, backed up by their very wonderful new 'posse.' We'll text you time and place."

Archie's demeanor slowly changed as Veronica made her speech. He glanced over at Rosie, shrugging, and she nodded slightly.

"Okay," he chuckled. "Yeah, okay."

"Perfect! Now get back to mud-wrestling with your anthropomorphic football friends and we will go put on an epic search for our new gowns. How does that sound?" Veronica laughed.

"It sounds great. See you tomorrow?" Archie grinned brightly.

"See you," Rosie called after him.

"Bye," Betty replied, blushing profusely.

Rosie was so thankful for these people.

* * *

The night of the dance sprung quickly upon Rosie and her new friends. To her dismay, her brother had also decided that his presence was required at the semi-formal, too.

They entered separately, Will going first, and Rosie second. They hadn't had a conversation about it, but they seemed to have a mutual agreement to avoid each other as much as possible during the event. Will would hang with his 'upper classmen sports pigs,' and Rosie with her 'loser popular wannabe idiots.'

She made a beeline for the snack table, where Kevin was situated.

"Hey, Kev," she greeted. "How is this dance so far for you?"

Kevin spun on his heel, mouth full of cupcake, to see Rosie standing there behind him.

"Hey!" His words were slightly muffled. He finished chewing, then swallowed, and then saw Rosie's dress. His eyes went huge. "You look fantastic!"

Rosie chuckled, thumbing the flowing material. "Really?"

Kevin nodded. "That shade of green is perfect for your hair and it really makes your eyes stand out."

She looked down at the mint green, one-shouldered dress Betty and Veronica had picked out for her. She had borrowed a pair of sandaled heels from Veronica, and had let Betty do her hair half up and half down with loose curls at the ends of her hair. She had gone without her glasses for the night, although, felt somewhat naked without them.

"Thanks, Kevin," she replied.

The dark-haired boy went to take another bite of cupcake, but a blob of frosting cascaded down onto his jacket lapel.

"Aw, man!" he complained. He set down the half-eaten cupcake on the snack table. "I'll be right back."

Rosie, amused, nodded. "Okay."

He rushed off in the direction of what Rosie assumed was the restroom. Rosie smiled ever so slightly at the replay of Kevin's icing glob sliding off the cupcake and onto him in her mind.

She overlooked the snacks, then noticed a certain teacher sitting in the row of foldable chairs in between the two tables.

Having Ms. Grundy in class was somewhat awkward for her. She knew the scandal that encapsulated Ms. Grundy's private life. An affair with a student; Archie Andrews, the new, up and coming football star and underground artist of Riverdale High. The woman was a fantastic musician, but Rosie had a hard time focusing in choir every once in a while, just because she knew.

Before Rosie could make her escape, Ms. Grundy addressed her.

"Ms. Green," she said.

Rosie tried to plaster on a comfortable smile. "Hi, Ms. Grundy. How is chaperoning?"

"I haven't had to split up any grinding teenagers yet, so I'm happy," the teacher joked lightly. "How are you?"

"I just got here, so pretty uneventful so far," she answered. She stepped closer to the music teacher in order to hear her better.

"I've actually been meaning to ask you something, Rosie," Ms. Grundy announced. "About choir."

Rosie was glad to distract herself from the plague of trying not to imagine Ms. Grundy and a certain redheaded student together.

"What about choir?"

"I was wondering if you would consider being mezzo-soprano section lead for the advanced women's choir? I need a strong voice front and center, making sure the girls know what's happening during sectional time and during the general rehearsal time in class."

Rosie felt honored, but conflicted. But she couldn't let Ms. Grundy be suspicious of her hesitation. She couldn't let her know that she knew about the relationship with Archie.

"Wow. Thank you so much, Ms. Grundy," she said, feeling genuinely flattered. "I would love to."

Ms. Grundy looked pleased with her answer. "That's great news. Thank _you_ for being someone I can rely on."

"Of course," Rosie replied.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Veronica striding over to the other punch table.

"Have a good night, Ms. Grundy," she said, bidding her goodbye.

"You, too," the teacher nodded back. "Have fun."

"Thanks."

Rosie's high heels clicked and clacked as she approached the Lodge girl.

"Hey, Ronnie," she greeted. "Where's Betty and Archie?"

"Hey," Veronica replied. "I left the two to their own devices. I'm trying to get Betty to be bold, but something tells me she's going to need more encouragement."

"Well, I can certainly assist with that," grinned Rosie. She spotted Josie and the Pussycats mounting the makeshift stage at the end of the gym.

Kevin suddenly appeared. "You two will _never believe_ what just happened!"

Veronica and Rosie shared a curious glance.

"What happened?" asked Veronica.

"I was in the bathroom cleaning that frosting off my suit jacket and guess who propositioned me into… _stuff?"_

The two girls shrugged.

"Moose," he declared.

Rosie's eyebrows shot up. Really? That over-masculine jock from the first day of school that Archie hung around with?

"You're kidding," deadpanned Veronica.

"That overcompensated football jerk told you he wanted to…?" Rosie wondered doubtfully.

"I know, I know! I can barely believe it myself," Kevin said, exasperated.

Even though the over-produced track was still playing on the loudspeakers, Cheryl Blossom stepped up to the microphone on the stage. What was she planning this time?

"Ooh! Let's go dance and spy on Betty and Archie!" Veronica said excitedly, pulling the hands of both Kevin and Rosie.

The two let her drag them to the middle of the gym, somewhat near to where Betty was standing – alone.

 _Where is Archie?_ Rosie thought. _Isn't he supposed to be Betty and Veronica's date?_

She scanned the entire gym, waiting to see the flaming red of the boy's hair. And she did – she found him where she, Kevin, and Veronica had just been standing: at the snack tables. But he wasn't chowing down on the cupcakes or squares of mushy cheddar cheese. No, he was sitting next to Ms. Grundy, seemingly deep in conversation.

She sighed, shaking her head. What the heck was he doing talking to her? In the middle of a school dance where anyone the school could see them?

But she stormed away, leaving Archie by himself. He stared wistfully after her, then turned and stood, and walked over to Betty.

"Good evening friends," Cheryl spoke into the microphone. "Are you all having a good time?"

Applause and some cheering erupted from the crowd of students. Rosie, Veronica, and Kevin clapped half-heartedly. None were huge fans of Cheryl.

"As honorary chairperson and de facto queen of tonight's semiformal, it is my great pleasure to introduce this evening's main entertainment. To know them is to be obsessed with them. Though they usually perform their own material, tonight they're making an exception and debuting a cover of the song my parents claim they were listening to the night Jason and I were conceived."

A collective lament of disgust was shared between Rosie, Veronica, and Kevin.

"That's concerning," Rosie muttered, making Kevin chortle in amusement.

"This one's for you, JJ," said Cheryl dreamily. "I give you Josie and the Pussycats."

A more excited, overwhelming scream of delight echoed through the dance floor as the first chords of _All Through the Night_ by James Shear began to play.

Rosie was somewhat impressed by the level of production that the band had done beforehand. It wasn't her style or anything, but she had to appreciate the hard work they had put in to revamp the not-so-great song.

As she was being impressed by Josie and the Pussycats, Veronica had asked Kevin to dance and had moved nearer to Betty and Archie, who were already slow-dancing. She scoffed. She was alone. Just as always.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and she frowned. Who was asking her to dance?

She spun on her heel to find one of her already least-favorite people at Riverdale High School standing before her.

"Want to dance, Rosie?" asked Reggie, flashing a white-toothed grin at her.

"After all that crap you pulled when we first met?" she scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I know that wasn't the most inviting thing to say. But…will you?"

Rosie felt somewhat bad. He looked kind of depressing and a little tipsy at the same time. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and decided to give in.

"Sure, why not?" she sighed. "But keep your hands on my waist and my waist only. No exceptions."

Reggie just looked happy to have someone to dance with. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Not a problem."

She grabbed the tall jock's wrist and pulled him over next to Veronica and Kevin, who seemed somewhat shocked that she had agreed to slow dance with Reggie Mantle of all people.

But her focus was not on the football player she had her arms around, it was on the blonde and redhead that were swaying together on the other side of the gym.

"What is she waiting for?" hissed Rosie to the other two.

"I don't know," Kevin replied, shaking his head.

"She's got to just say it," Veronica agreed.

Betty glanced over to them with a terrified expression gracing her features. Rosie widened her eyes at the Cooper girl, mouthing _just do it, Betty! Tell him what you feel!_

Betty's eyes flickered between the three and she plastered on a winning smile before going back to talking to Archie.

"What are you doing?" Reggie inquired.

Rosie's head snapped back to her dancing partner. "Just encouraging a friend to let her feelings be known."

"Uh…okay," shrugged Reggie. "You know…your brother talks about you a lot."

Rosie's nose scrunched as she processed what he had said. "He does?"

"He's always complaining about how annoying you are and how he's glad you're always out of the house," Reggie relayed. "Why?"

Rosie's frown deepened. "That's just my brother. He's always been like that."

"Personally, I don't understand how someone as hot as you could be as annoying as he says you are."

Rosie burst into laughter and Reggie shot her a confused smile, tilting his head slightly. "What's so funny?"

"Nice try, Mantle, but that pick up line was sad and lacked effort," she replied, still laughing a little.

Reggie frowned. "What? That wasn't a pick up line."

That sobered Rosie up quickly. She cleared her throat. "It…it wasn't?"

"No," Reggie said seriously. "I think you're beautiful."

Rosie's eyebrows raised up past her side-swept bangs. She was genuinely frazzled at the comment. "Uh, thanks. That's very sweet of you to say."

As one of the most confusing encounters of her life came to a close, so did the song.

Reggie gently let go and clapped for Josie and the Pussycats.

"Thanks for the dance," he smiled, then strode away.

Rosie was left standing by herself in awe. What had just happened?

She ignored the previous situation and glanced over at Betty, who seemed disheartened as she applauded the band. Archie looked distracted, glancing from Betty to a person near the snack table. Rosie didn't need to spin around and check to realize that it was Ms. Grundy who held his gaze. She shook her head. Archie had ruined what could have been a wonderful relationship because of a mere teacher who was, what, around ten to fifteen years older than him?

Unbeknownst to them all, Cheryl was plotting with her two ladies in waiting.

"Make sure those two turtledoves come to my afterparty. Veronica and Rosie, too," she smirked mischievously. "I'm in the mood for chaos."

* * *

Rosie wasn't sure how she had been roped into tagging along to Cheryl Blossom's afterparty at her estate, Thorn Hill, but she wasn't enjoying herself at all.

She sat in between Betty and Veronica, attempting to avoid the subtle glances Reggie Mantle had been sending her way.

"Why is meathead number two staring you down?" muttered Veronica to Rosie.

"I'll tell you later," the brunette whispered back.

Archie caught her eye and they shared an annoyed look. Why were they there and not in the Andrews' garage songwriting?

Cheryl flounced into the room in another red bandage dress, holding an empty glass soda bottle.

"It's game time at Chez Blossom, kiddies," she purred at them all. "We're going old-school tonight. Seven Minutes in Heaven."

Rosie rolled her eyes. She had told herself she would never, ever, in a million years participate in any kind of closet-make out game such as that.

"Who wants to tryst in the Closet of Love first?" wondered Cheryl, eyes glazing over all present on the couches. "My vote is 'A' for Archie."

Rosie audibly snorted, earning an amused glance from Veronica. Betty just looked uncomfortable as the rest looked over to the redhead, whose eyes were the size of dinner plates. He shook his head.

"Anyone care to second it?" inquired Cheryl.

Archie began to protest, but Reggie cut him off. "Yes, Andrews, yes!"

Archie sighed, but didn't argue.

"All right. Gather round, kids. Let's see who's riding the ginger stallion tonight."

Rosie visibly shuddered at Cheryl's statement. _Ginger stallion? Ew._

Cheryl placed the bottle on the table and gave it a twirl, walking around the couch in attempts to make it land on her.

The teens' breaths all caught in their throat in anticipation. Who would the spinner point to?

As the cherry soda bottle slowed its whirl, Rosie's shoulders tensed. She hoped it was anyone but Cheryl, for Archie's sake, and for Betty's.

But, to her dismay, it landed on someone else.

Herself.

* * *

 **I am so overwhelmed by the wonderful response I've gotten to this story so far! Thank you everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited** Ends of the Earth! **You are all so kind and so excited, which makes me so much more motivated to write chapters.**

 **Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed that one! I always feel like I get stuck in the middle of chapters, then I leave it for a while, and then I come back and I'm able to continue on. It's annoying but kind of cool at the same time.**

 **Anyways, here are my responses to the reviews left for this past chapter:**

Naruhina1519: Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so far. I see Rosie as _kind of_ a mix between Zooey Deschanel and Ellen Page. But I don't really have a set person to represent her. I like giving traits so that the readers can imagine her in their own way but still have features and characteristics to go off of.

The Flying Hawaiian 001: Thank you so so much! One of my biggest aims as a writer is to make sure my characters are solidly developed, so I'm glad Rosie is coming across that way! I hope she's unique enough and able to stand out in the series. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 😊

TheMuffinGirl31: Thank you for your review! You are too kind. I'll try to update more now that I'm on Winter break. I really hope you liked this chapter!

thebestpeopleinlifearefree: Haha thanks for your review! I hate Grundy too. Don't worry, Juggie will be introduced more officially this next chapter. 😊 Hope you liked this one, too!

xenocanaan: I'm so glad you're enjoying my fic so far! Here's that next chapter for you. Thanks for the review!

 **I'm going to get back to writing more, so stay tuned!**

 **If you liked this chapter, please leave a review and follow this story!** **Talk to you all soon.**


	5. Relationship Complications

Chapter 5: Relationship Complications

* * *

 _And at once I knew I was not magnificent_

 _Strayed above the highway aisle_

 _Jagged vacance, thick with ice_

 _And I could see for miles, miles, miles_

Holocene by Bon Iver

* * *

"Oh, no way!"

Reggie's snickers were magnified in Rosie's ears. The bottle had landed on her. She and Archie were supposed to go in the 'Closet of Love' and…make out?

"It's clearly pointing to…the hipster new girl," smirked Cheryl. "This should be fun."

Rosie's fingers twisted around the hem of her mint green dress. She was beyond annoyed. Betty's pitiful gaze landed on the brunette. She was heartbroken, and Rosie knew that it would kill Betty if she went into that closet with Archie.

"Yeah, that's not happening," Rosie sneered at Cheryl, refusing.

The redhead simply rolled her eyes. "That's up to you. But, if you don't, house rules decree that the hostess gets to take your turn."

Archie shot Rosie a desperate glance. He was obviously not okay with that decree, or whatever Cheryl had called it.

Betty's eyes glazed over in tears. Veronica glared at Cheryl in annoyance.

"Fine," Rosie concluded shortly. "But just so you know, I think this game is ridiculous."

Cheryl shrugged smugly and waved a hand towards the closet door at the wall opposite her. "Just get going so that the rest of us can delightfully continue."

Before standing, Rosie put a hand on Betty's.

"Nothing is going to happen in there, Betty, I swear to you," she whispered intently. "Nothing."

Betty nodded, but still looked unsure.

Rosie sighed and followed Archie into the closet.

As he shut the door after them, Rosie shook her head in repulsion.

"I know her brother just drowned in a river, but Cheryl really is the worst person I have ever encountered out of any town I've lived in," she sighed.

Archie laughed quietly. "Yeah, she's not exactly my favorite person, either."

"How long do we have left?"

Archie pulled out his phone. "Six minutes and forty seconds."

"Great," Rosie complained, shaking her head. "What did she expect us to do? Make out?"

"I think that's the general idea of the game," chuckled Archie.

Rosie laughed, too. "Yeah, well, we're friends. I'm not doing that Betty."

The comment sobered up Archie quickly. He stared past Rosie's head at a rack of itchy wool coats. Rosie noticed the sudden grim atmosphere.

"It didn't go well tonight for you both, did it?" she inquired softly.

Archie was quiet for a moment. "I don't think it went the way she wanted it to."

"What did she say?"

"It was something about how she saw us as a power couple – you know, now that she's a River Vixen and I'm on the football team."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"And…what did you say?"

"I…I don't remember. It's all kind of a blur. I just…"

"What is it?"

Archie seemed frustrated at himself. "I just don't feel…whatever it is I'm supposed to feel with Betty. But you were right, Rosie. She likes me."

"She loves you," the brunette corrected gently. "She loves you as a friend. And more."

"That's the problem," Archie replied. "I love her only as a friend."

"Then you need to tell her that," Rosie urged. "Be honest with her. Listen with your ears and heart open. Be genuine and giving. But don't tell her something that's untrue. Her heart is already broken. You don't want to shatter it."

Archie nodded, looking down at his shoes as he leaned against the shelf of board games. His eyes locked onto Rosie's.

"I will," he said, determined. "Thank you."

Rosie smiled. "You're welcome." There was a beat. "How much time now?"

Archie laughed as he turned on his phone again. "Four minutes, thirty seconds."

"Let's play a game," Rosie suggested. "Ten questions."

Archie seemed satisfied with her suggestion. "Okay, okay…uh…do you miss Portland?"

Rosie's smile faded a little. "Yeah, yeah. I do. I miss the city more than anything else." She crossed her arms, thinking of a question. "What is your favorite music genre?"

Archie narrowed his eyes at her good-naturedly, shaking his head. "You know that's a difficult question for me."

"I know, but I need an answer!"

He leaned back against the game board shelf even more, stabilizing himself as the went through genres in his mind.

Unfortunately, the shelf had a mind of its own. As Archie shifted his weight against the woodworking, the entire piece of furniture decided to topple over.

Rosie had reached out to Archie to help him stand, but the sheer surprise of the falling shelf caught Archie off guard. He grabbed Rosie's outstretched hands to help pull himself back onto his feet, but Rosie wasn't strong enough to do so. Instead of helping Archie to safety, both he and Rosie were pulled down with the shelf, falling sharply onto the wooden shelves and uneven stacks of board game boxes. Archie landed on his back, while Rosie unceremoniously fell right on top of him. Her elbows dug into his ribs, causing him more pain. His arms were wrapped around her torso, a symptom of trying to catch her as she fell.

They both groaned from the sudden, jerky movements. But before they had time to move, the door of the closet was thrown open, revealing their awkward position on top of the dropped case.

It was Cheryl, who just giggled. "Getting a little too aggressive, aren't we? I didn't expect such vigor from either of you."

Archie and Rosie could barely move from the sudden shock of it all. Before they could shift positions, Betty and Veronica appeared behind the Blossom girl. Veronica's expression changed from one of astonishment to one of sheer anger. Betty slapped a hand over her mouth as tears began streaming down her face.

"No, no – Betty!"

"Betty, this is not what it looks like!"

Betty flew out of sight as Rosie rolled off Archie onto the floor beside the shelf. Veronica snarled at the both of them before stomping off after the blonde.

"No, no, no, Ronnie! Ronnie!" Archie shouted, boosting himself up onto his converse-clad feet. He immediately held out a hand for Rosie, who graciously accepted. He pulled her up so that she could stand. Then, the two scurried out of the closet as Cheryl called after them.

"What, you're not going to take up my offer of the room down the hall?"

Rosie and Archie hurried down the stairs, the brunette taking up the front. She didn't realize how easy it was to almost trip in heels on carpeted stairs.

"Crap! Betty's cell is off," Archie told her as they rushed out the front door.

"Already?!" exclaimed Rosie, panicking. "She's fast."

As they flung the front doors of Thorn Hill open, they saw Veronica stepping into a black car. She had called an Uber already.

The two friends ran towards the car, yelling for the two girls to stop and listen.

"Hey, hey! Veronica! Betty!" Archie called.

"Betty! Betty, please, I kept my promise!"

"Shady bitch!" Veronica spat in Rosie's direction as she slammed the car door shut.

And before they could reach the car, it sped off out of the driveway and onto the road. Rosie came to an abrupt halt, groaning and feeling like she could break something.

"I can't believe they thought we were – ,"

"I know," Rosie interrupted. "I just…I don't…ugh!"

She put a hand on her forehead, pacing back and forth. "What do we do?"

Archie shook his head, putting his hands in his pockets. "I have no idea."

The two thought deeply, Rosie pacing, her heels clicking on the pavement; Archie standing there, staring off at the path the Uber took as it drove off.

"We have to go after them," Archie finally said.

"And do what?" barked Rosie. "Apologize? Something tells me that Betty won't be receptive to anything I have to say."

"Then we go separately," Archie suggested quickly. "Me first, you second."

"Or I could go first," Rosie replied swiftly. "She'll take out all her anger on me, then she'll be more willing to listen to you."

Archie nodded, but whipped out his phone and pressed a few buttons. He held it up to his ear.

"Who are you calling?"

"Veronica."

"She's just going to yell at you."

But Archie didn't respond to Rosie's comment. Veronica had apparently picked up the phone.

"What do you want, you snake?" she yapped in greeting.

"What you saw was wrong, Ronnie," Archie pleaded.

"Oh, sure, you and Rosie Green getting it on and knocking over an entire shelf in the process? I think I saw it correctly, Archie Andrews," Veronica fought tartly.

"No, no that's not what happened," argued Archie. "It was an accident. Nothing happened between Rosie and I. I swear!"

"I don't think I believe you. And don't apologize to me, apologize to Betty," barked Veronica fiercely. "But she's not willing to speak with you right now, so don't contact her."

"Veronica – ,"

Nothing.

"She hung up on me," sighed Archie, staring at his blank phone screen.

"What did she say?" pressed Rosie.

"She said that she thinks we were…we were in the middle of doing stuff when we knocked over the game board shelves; that Betty doesn't want to talk to us right now…"

"We can't just leave this alone," Rosie said, shaking her head in disbelief. "We are innocent until proven guilty, which we aren't. I'm not going to let this go. Where would Betty go if she was upset?"

Archie's mind reeled for a moment. "Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe."

"What is that?" wondered Rosie.

"A diner, our favorite place in Riverdale," he replied. "We can go together. Let me get my truck and we can…"

"I don't think she wants to talk with us together," Rosie reiterated. "It would just make it worse. I might just…I might just go home. Let her sleep on it, then talk to her at school on Monday or sometime this weekend."

Archie sighed. "Alright. I'll take you home."

"Thanks," said the brunette quietly.

The two walked towards the Andrews' truck, not speaking a single word to each other.

As they left the Blossom residence, Rosie spoke up.

"To clarify something," she began, "I just want you to know that I don't think of you in a romantic sense. At all."

Archie nodded, agreeing. "I feel the same way. You're my friend. You're my music partner."

"Exactly!" Rosie nodded profusely. "You're cute, sure, but not my type. And having a romantic relationship with a music partner can end – ,"

"Can end really bad," continued Archie. "So we agree? We're only friends and we don't think of each other that way?"

"Yes! Yes, one hundred percent!" chimed in Rosie. "We need to make that known to Betty and Veronica. We need to explain the situation, tell them everything play-by-play."

Archie was on the same page. "I agree. Tell her what we talked about and how we ended up like that."

"Yes, that plan is spectacular," Rosie concluded.

They sat in complete silence again, listening to the rumble of the truck's engine as it soared down the roads of Riverdale.

"I feel like such an idiot," Rosie said as Archie turned the truck down her street.

"You shouldn't," Archie told her fervently. "What happened was a freak accident."

"I just feel stupid for even going to Cheryl's party in the first place. Parties…bad things always happen to me at parties."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean bad things happen to me at parties, Archie," chuckled Rosie darkly. "I'll tell you about my birthday soiree escapades some other time."

"When we're not in a complete mess?" he joked sardonically.

Rosie sighed as they pulled into the Green's driveway. "Yeah. When we're not in a complete mess."

He turned the key in the ignition, the truck's grumble dying down as the engine stopped whirring.

"I'll let you know how it goes with Betty," he told her solemnly.

"Thanks," she replied.

She opened the door and got out of the vehicle. Before she shut the door, she said, "Thanks for the ride, Arch. See you soon."

"Bye, Rosie," he replied.

Then, with a sad smile, Rosie swung the passenger side door shut, turned, and sulked up the front porch steps to the house.

She didn't look back as Archie drove the truck out of the driveway and out of sight. She did, however, look down at her phone clock to see that she was right on time for curfew, midnight.

There was a faint glow coming from the kitchen to her left.

"I'm home," she called out, not expecting an answer.

"Right on time for once, Rosie," her father replied.

She frowned slightly and went into the kitchen.

"And you don't look like a complete mess, either," said her mother.

Rosie was surprised to find Carol and Kenny Green up and cooking something that smelled heavenly.

It took her a minute to process the not-fully compliment compliments.

"Uh, thank you," she stumbled over her words. "What…what are you two doing still awake? And cooking?"

"Your brother is bringing home some friends tomorrow and we want to make sure that they've got some snacks to munch on," Carol explained.

"Is Will even home yet?" asked Rosie curiously.

Kenny shook his head. "Nope, but his curfew isn't until two. He's got lots of time."

Rosie sighed. Of course, her brother had a later curfew.

"I'm going to head to bed," she announced. "Have fun cooking."

"Night, Rosie!" Kenny said.

Her mother ignored her. But that was something Rosie was accustomed to. Her dad was more responsive towards her than her mom.

She trudged up the stairs towards her room: the attic.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she broke. Her eyes welled up with tears at the thought of losing two of her new friends. And she was sure that Kevin would be told the next day, if not that night, and would turn on her, too.

Guilt pooled in the depths of her belly, making her stomach flare up in nausea. She knew she had done nothing wrong. She hadn't broken her promise to Betty. So why did she feel so terrible?

She slumped down onto her queen-sized mattress, pulling off the borrowed shoes and laying back onto her pillows. She rolled over onto her side and sobbed.

It was possible that Rosie had lost two, maybe three, friends that night. She worried anxiously about Archie's talk with Betty. She worried about what Betty would think of her. But most of all, she worried about what Veronica would think of her. She knew the crowd Veronica ran with in New York. She'd read the tabloids and articles on social media. She knew the type of girl Veronica could be. But she also knew the type of girl Veronica was trying to be. There was a fifty-fifty chance Veronica could go full on vengeful ice-princess, or understanding saint. No in between. It was either-or.

Around one thirty in the morning, Rosie's phone blipped. She rolled over to face her night stand, eyes dry and aching. She turned on the screen to see she had a text from Archie.

 **Talked 2 Betty. Not super happy with us. Heartbroken. So am I. I'm afraid I lost a friend.**

Rosie sniffled and texted him back.

 **I'm so sorry, Archie. This is all my fault.**

His response was immediate.

 **Not yours. Mine 2. We should have not gone in that closet in the 1** **st** **place. I should have listen 2 U that day you met her. U were right.**

Rosie sighed.

 **Do you think we are guilty after all?**

The response time was slightly longer.

 **No. Not guilty. Cheryl made it so much worse when she opened the door. Wait 2 talk to Betty until Monday. She needs time 2 think. Same with V.**

Rosie agreed with him.

 **OK. I'll wait. Thanks, Arch.**

 **U r a true friend, Ro. See U later.**

Thus the end of their conversation.

Rosie sat up, her hair frizzy from the once perfectly coiled curls, her dress frumpy from laying down for so long. And all she felt was exhaustion. Not the type of exhaustion that makes you want to fall asleep, but the type of exhaustion that comes with being emotionally invested in people.

But despite the negative emotions she was currently experiencing, Rosie felt inspired to write a song. So she did.

By four in the morning, Rosie had a full song written. The guitar chords were perfect, the lyrics were tragically poetic, and the harmonies were exactly what made it great. Rosie was proud. She felt better, too. She hoped that she could talk about what happened with Betty and Veronica on Monday and that they would understand and forgive her.

But around four thirty-five, as Rosie was putting away her songwriting gear, her phone rang. It was Archie calling. Rosie answered immediately, concerned.

"Archie? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Rosie. But – but it's, it's Jason!"

"What?"

"Kevin found Jason's body at the riverbank with a bullet hole in his head!"

Rosie stood from the side of her bed, voice raising more than it should have at that time of the day. "Are you serious?"

"Kevin called me and said to get down there and bring you with me. Me and my dad are getting in the truck right now. We'll swing by your house on the way there."

"Okay, I'll be waiting outside."

And with that, Rosie quickly hung up, slid on a pair of white converse, and grabbed a jean jacket from her closet. She rushed down the staircase as quietly as possible as to not wake up her brother or parents. She snatched up her wallet from the table next to the front door and went outside to sit on the steps leading up to the porch.

She only waited a minute or so before the Andrews' truck arrived to pick her up. Both Fred and Archie's faces were grim. Rosie barely smiled as she stepped into the truck. She settled in between the two Andrews as they drove. Besides a quick hello, no one said a word all the way to Sweetwater River. She and Archie stared ahead at the road as Fred navigated the truck to a stop in a gravelly open space.

There were a few other cars present, one Rosie recognized as the Lodge's family car. She sighed as she got out of the truck after Archie. He noticed the vehicle, too, and the friends shared a worried glance.

Fred circled around the hood of the truck and put an arm around Archie's shoulders.

"Are you both feeling okay?"

"Worried, Dad," Archie replied glumly. "If Jason was shot, then…"

"I know," Fred interjected quickly. He put a hand on Rosie's shoulder. "How are you, Rosie?"

The brunette was truthful. "Sad to see a small town burdened by something like this. I feel bad for the Blossoms."

 _Even though Cheryl completely blew things out of proportion last night,_ she thought bitterly.

"Me, too," said Fred. "Let's go show them some support. Especially Kevin and his dad."

Rosie must have made a confused face, as Archie quickly clarified. "Kevin's dad is the sheriff."

She nodded, understanding how difficult it must have been for Kevin to find a body of a fellow classmate, and for his dad, the sheriff of Riverdale, to get a report like that from his son.

Rosie stuck close to the Andrews as they all trudged towards the riverbank.

The early morning sunrise was just beginning as the three reached their destination. Already there was Moose and his parents, Kevin, the Lodges, and, awkwardly, the Coopers.

Rosie's breath caught in her throat as Alice Cooper looked her way. Rosie was not someone who was easily scared, but the resentment that Alice had in her eyes was one of the most terrifying things Rosie Green had ever seen in her life. There was a hatred that sprung from her pupils, wrapping Rosie in a petrified glare that made her cold to her core. Alice Cooper was not someone that Rosie knew to trifle with.

But Betty, being the ever-gracious soul, put a hand on her mother's. Alice's stare softened as she looked to Betty, who just shook her head, tears springing into her eyes. The mother and daughter turned away, leaving Rosie feeling gutted.

Archie put a hand on her upper arm. "Rosie?"

Rosie looked up to her new friend, a frightened look gracing her features. "Betty hates me, doesn't she?"

The flashing blue and red lights from the police cars reflected off of the boy's flaming red hair. He shook his head. "No. She doesn't hate you. If she hates anyone, it's me."

Then, as the sun peeked over the horizon, casting a pink light on a new, horrifying situation called the murder of Jason Blossom.

Rosie watched in sadness as they carted a bagged body, Jason's body, up off the rocky shore and onto the muddy, grassy bank. She hadn't noticed a well-dressed family standing closer to the water – the Blossoms.

Rosie could only imagine what they must have been feeling. To be processing a son's death, only to be greeted with the fateful news of his murder?

She looked around at the faces present. Cheryl, Kevin, Betty, Veronica, Archie…the dark-haired, crown-shaped, beanie-wearing boy from lunch a few days prior. Herself. They all had a part to play in the story.

And Rosie had a feeling that this was only the start of something she had never experienced before. The turmoil of what it meant to live in a town like Riverdale.

* * *

Rosie stood waiting anxiously by Betty's locker. She had been restless the entire weekend waiting to speak with the blonde about the misunderstanding at Cheryl's dance afterparty. She hadn't even gone to Archie's garage to record songs.

She tugged nervously at the maroon beanie on her head and adjusted her glasses. Her gray, three-quarters sleeve sweater was warmer than usual, and her black, skinny-jean overalls were tighter around the chest than she remembered. Was she that tense? Did she really feel that uncomfortable and guilty that even her usually perfectly fitting dungarees were…too small?

Rosie knew she was psyching herself out – a regular occurrence for her. She had a tendency to worry about things she had no control over.

Then, she saw a blonde head coming towards her. It was Betty.

Rosie's whole body tensed as the she approached.

"Hi," squeaked Rosie.

"Hi," replied Betty hesitantly.

"Betty, I am so sorry if you thought – ,"

"Archie explained everything this morning," the blonde cut in. Rosie had a hard time reading Betty's facial expression.

"He did?" she breathed, as if waiting for some kind of explosion.

"He did," Betty confirmed. A small smile broke out over her face. "Rosie, I know that you and Archie don't like each other that way."

Rosie smiled back. "Exactly! And what happened at Cheryl's party was a complete freak accident. We literally stood in that closet and joked about how much we didn't want to be there. We started just talking and Archie leaned back on that shelf and it just – it just completely collapsed. I tried to pull Archie back up as it fell, but it ended…well, it ended like how you saw."

Betty nodded, face fallen slightly. "I understand that."

Rosie felt like she needed to make her point clear. "But, Betty…I am so, so sorry if you ever thought I'd do that to you after I had just promised that nothing would happen. I love that I feel more accepted here with you and Veronica and Kevin and Archie than I do in my own family. I would never jeopardize my friendship with you in such a stupid manner on purpose. If you know me even a little bit, then you'd understand that I would never do that kind of thing."

Betty felt terrible that she had assumed such a thing in the first place, and reached out and hugged Rosie tightly. Rosie hugged back.

"I forgive you, I do. And I'm sorry that I would ever think that you'd pull something like that in the first place," Betty said as they let go. "I want to be your friend and I want to be there for you."

"Thank you for understanding, Betty," Rosie replied gratefully. "It was killing me all weekend."

"Thank you for giving me space to think," Betty nodded. "I really appreciate that you let me sit on it for a while to figure out how I felt about it all."

Out of the blue, there was Kevin, bounding up to the both of them.

"So…" he started, standing back as if not sure what to expect, "how are you guys?"

"We're great, Kev," Betty told him cheerfully. "We've worked it all out."

Kevin sighed in relief. "Good! Now, Rosie…kiss and tell!"

Rosie laughed. "Kev, you do realize that Archie's lips never even got close to mine, right?"

Kevin's face fell. "Oh. Really? Are you sure?"

Betty and Rosie both shared amused expressions.

"Pretty sure," Rosie chuckled.

The three started walking down the hall together.

"Okay, so now that romance is off the table, are we sure that Archie is 100% straight? Because no straight man has that body," Kevin decided dreamily.

"Speaking of bodies…" Betty said, flipping the conversation and lowering her voice, "Have you recovered from finding Jason's?"

"Yeah, how are you feeling about that, Kev?" Rosie wondered.

The Keller boy's dark eyebrows shot up. "It was more traumatizing explaining to my dad what I was doing with Moose at the river. Yet another perk of being the sheriff's son."

Kevin and Betty crossed the hall and entered the school office. Rosie followed.

Sitting on the front desk was a large bouquet of yellow roses. The scent of florals drifted through the small space.

Kevin immediately charged full steam ahead towards the flowers. "Oh my god, those are gorgeous. Are those for Betty, Mrs. Phillips?"

"That's why I called her," replied the elderly secretary.

Rosie and Betty arrived next the roses as Kevin plucked a notecard from the top of the bundle. His forehead wrinkled as he read the message out loud.

"'Dear Betty, there are plenty more fish in the sea. Your heart will mend. With love, XOXO, V."

Rosie's anxiety returned in full force, slamming her chest with impending pressure. She had forgotten that there was a possibility of Veronica's wrath and the damage that it could do. Sure, it was nice of her to get Betty flowers, but Rosie had a feeling that she wouldn't reason as calmly as their blonde friend.

She inhaled sharply, earning a quick, but concerned, glance from Betty, who was focused on the confusion written all over Kevin's face.

"V? Who the hell is V?" he questioned.

Betty smiled. "Veronica."

Just to Rosie's luck, there the Lodge girl was, grinning brightly and holding a fancy ivory box. Her name synchronized in dialogue with Betty's.

"The yellow is for friendship," she told them happily. "I just wanted to make sure that you felt supported, B. After that basic bitch move that Rosie made –,"

Rosie's heart skipped a beat as Veronica's gaze landed on her. The raven-haired girl's eyes became like daggers, piercing through whatever self-defense Rosie had left.

"Betty," she snarled through grit teeth, "why is _she_ with you?"

Rosie scoffed, annoyed, yet scared out of her mind, at the same time.

Betty held up a hand and spoke evenly. "It's okay, V. Rosie and I worked it out. It was all just one big misunderstanding."

"That's what she and that male chauvinistic pig want you to think," she snapped.

Rosie's blood was boiling. What made Veronica think that she could step in and break what she and Betty had just mended?

Before she could say anything, Betty cut in.

"Veronica, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I trust Archie's word," Betty explained calmly. "And I trust Rosie, too. There is no reason for her to do whatever it is we thought she did. Especially after everything she told us that day on the bleachers."

Veronica sighed, seemingly defeated.

Kevin was enraptured by the drama that was playing out in front of him. He was like a kid in a candy shop – enamored with everything going on.

Rosie sighed, too. "Veronica, I'll tell you what I told Betty. Archie and I are, and will ever only be, friends. Period. You know I am an honest person. I tell things like they are, not to be rude, but to help myself and others gain perspective. What you saw was Cheryl trying to pit us against each other. She's envious of our new group. She's green with envy towards you in particular. She wanted to endanger whatever new relationships we were creating and move in for the kill – you. We were the prey and she was the predator. But here is the absolute, unbiased, sound truth: Archie and were talking. We were playing ten questions and he tried resting against an unstable shelf and it fell. I tried pulling him away from it and we ended up being pulled down with it. I apologized to Betty for whatever anguish I, me, myself, and I, caused."

Veronica seemed unsure. Her foot tapped impatiently on the floor, her fingers drumming lightly over the white package in her hands. She had admitted conquest.

"Fine," she concluded. "If Betty is happy, I'm happy."

"That's great, Veronica," Betty replied giddily. "I'm so glad we got this all worked out."

"Are you going down to the student lounge? I was headed that way, too," asked Veronica.

"Yeah, we'll join you," said Betty.

And the two left the office together, chatting about the weekend and whatever plans they had made later in the week.

But for some reason, Rosie's anxiety didn't melt away. Although some had disappeared, a sliver of it remained.

Kevin looked at her with a worried expression. "I don't think she's as over it as Betty thinks."

"I feel the same, Kev," Rosie exhaled. "Something tells me this isn't over yet."

* * *

During the first class of the day, the loudspeaker crackled on.

Rosie looked up from her work in advanced calculus to focus on the announcements.

"Good morning, students. This is your principal speaking," Principal Weatherbee's voice echoed through the school. "There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening, as scheduled. Now, on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sheriff Keller."

A new voice began to speak. Kevin's dad, the sheriff.

"Most of you already know the details, but your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found late Saturday night. So as of the weekend, Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide. It is an open and ongoing investigation."

Rosie's eyes flickered around the room from person to person. Many seemed concerned, while few others seemed truly distraught.

"And may I interject," a fervent female voice interrupted, "neither I nor my parents will rest until Jason's death is avenged, and his cold-hearted killer is walking the green mile to sit in Old Sparky and fry. I, for one, have my suspicions. Hashtag Riverdale strong."

 _Of course, she's being overdramatic,_ Rosie thought, rolling her eyes. _This is just a spectacular start to the week._

Sheriff Keller spoke once more. "If you know anything that could help us to find and apprehend Jason's killer, or anything about what happened to him on July 4th, I strongly urge you to come forward immediately. You can speak with me or Principal Weatherbee. A death like this wounds us all. Let's not let Jason down."

"Thank you, Sheriff Keller," said Weatherbee. "Please resume class as scheduled. Thank you and have a good day. Go Bulldogs."

And with that, the loudspeakers went quiet.

A hushed mumble fell over Rosie's class. Her desk partner, Dilton Doiley, the only other sophomore in the class, fidgeted awkwardly. He wouldn't meet her eyes as she looked over at him.

"Are you okay, Dilton?" she inquired suspiciously.

"I'm fine," he retorted.

Rosie frowned and lowered her voice. "Are you sure?"

This time, he made firm eye contact. He stopped fidgeting. "Yes."

 _I don't believe you,_ she thought, annoyed, as the two went back to their own quiet work.

* * *

Biology class was Rosie and the group's last period before lunch. Rosie dreaded both. The former because she got sick from smells easily and they were dissecting a frog that day; the latter because Veronica didn't seem fully convinced of her innocence regarding the closet incident.

As she approached the classroom, Archie caught up with her. She smiled, feeling more comfortable in her friend's presence.

"Hey, Rosie," he greeted.

"Hey. I haven't seen you in a couple days," she replied.

"I know," he smiled. "Weird not to work on music this weekend."

"It was," she agreed. "I've got some chords I want to share with you later if that's okay."

"Definitely." Then his voice lowered. "So…how did it go with Betty?"

Rosie nodded slightly. "Betty was ever-gracious, kind soul she's always been. But Veronica?" She puffed out a breath of air in exasperation. "I've seen lions with less bite than her."

"Is she angry with you? Is she angry at me?"

"That's just it…I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," relayed Rosie, "that when Betty laid it all out on the table, Veronica didn't seem as willing to forgive and forget. I mean, yeah, I have trouble with that, too, but we didn't do anything wrong. She doesn't seem convinced of our innocence. Mine, specifically." She tugged on the end of her brunette braid. "I'm not sure what's going to happen."

"All we can do at this point is wait it out," Archie reasoned. "Betty is the one you were most worried about. It's her that was affected, not Veronica. If Betty's okay, then Veronica will be, too."

"You're totally right," admitted Rosie. "That helps ease a little of my anxiety. Thanks, Arch."

Archie laughed. "You're welcome."

As they entered the Biology lab, they overheard Cheryl defending herself loudly to her ladies in waiting.

But, as they passed the front of the room, Archie nodded to someone Rosie recognized: the crown-beanie wearing boy. Their eyes stayed glued on each other as Rosie walked by.

She shook it off as Cheryl's voice grew steadily in decibels.

"Are you living mannequins suggesting I had something to do with my brother's death?"

"We're just curious. What do the police think happened?"

"I'll tell you what I told them, which is that Jason did fall into the water. We both did. I made it to the shore. He didn't. Maybe he made it to the other side of the river and someone shot him there. Who knows?"

As Rosie sat down at an empty chair in the back with Archie, the teacher hurried in, searching through his briefcase for papers.

"Seats, everyone. Pair off, gloves on, scalpels up."

"I need to talk to Cheryl," Archie muttered to Rosie. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she replied. "There's someone I need to talk to, too."

As others paired off around her, Rosie beelined towards the crown-beanie at the front of the class. Cheryl's posse started towards him, too, but Rosie beat them to it. She plopped down next to the dark-haired boy, whose eyebrows raised.

Rosie shot him a smile.

"Hi," she said cheerfully. "I'm Rosie."

The beanie boy smiled in confusion, eyes narrowed slightly. He introduced himself. "Jughead Jones. And I know who you are."

"New girl status?" she wondered as she slipped on a pair of latex gloves.

"Nope. Archie Andrews."

Rosie frowned. "How do you know Archie?"

"We grew up together," Jughead replied. "He's my… _ex_ best friend."

Rosie's scowl deepened. "Ex?"

"Long story," he told her.

They were silent as they prepared for the dissection.

 _So beanie boy has a name…and was best friends with Archie at some point,_ Rosie thought. _What kind of story could this be? What led to the ex in the title? Does he know about the supposed Archie and Grundy affair?_

"I've got a weird question for you," she whispered.

Jughead was intrigued. "Which means I'll probably have a weird answer."

"Have you noticed anything going on between Archie and…Ms. Grundy?"

Jughead looked taken aback at the inquiry. He tore the scalpel from its holder with uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, was there anything that happened this summer that made you suspect something…fishy going on with him? I noticed that he and Grundy share a strange relationship that's not educationally sound policy-wise," Rosie told him quietly.

Jughead thought for a moment. He knew very little about this new girl, only that she and Archie had become fast friends and bonded over their love of music. But to come to him about something as strange as a student-teacher relationship? That involved Archie Andrews and Geraldine Grundy? This wasn't something to take lightly.

Before he could respond, they heard a loud SMACK. The two spun in their seats to see Cheryl butchering the frog on the table in front of her and Archie. He seemed concerned, and even more puzzled by the fact that his ex-best friend was partnered with his producer/lyricist friend.

Rosie and Jughead turned back to their own frog. Rosie glanced over at the beanie-wearing boy in anticipation, waiting for his verdict.

"Meet me at Pop's after school," said Jughead quietly. "We can talk then. If Archie really is having an affair with Ms. Grundy, then maybe we can put a stop to it. Together."

* * *

 **Oh my gosh, I can't believe we're on to the second episode! Yay! It seemed like I was stuck on the pilot for** _ **forever.**_ **And we got some Jughead in it! Yay! I promise, there will be a lot more of him in this next chapter and in the story from here on out.**

 **I know this chapter was full of a lot of different stuff. I'm not going to lie, I LOVE writing Kevin/Rosie interactions. I feel like they're so much fun together.**

 **What did you all think of the whole resolution between Rosie and Betty? What do you think will happen between Rosie and Veronica in this next chapter? Let me know in the reviews! I love hearing your predictions and ideas about the changes Rosie is making in this story.**

 **Here are my responses to all your lovely reviews:**

xenocanaan: Thank you! What do you think of Betty and Rosie's relationship after this chapter? Thank you so much for your review.

thebestpeopleinlifearefree: I hope you liked this chapter! And yeah, I'm actually pretty proud of that cliffhanger. What did you think of the whole closet situation? And I'm enjoying the Kevin relationships, too. I wish he was included more in the show, because he's honestly one of my top three favorite characters. Thank you so much for reviewing! 😊

Guest (1): I actually am going to explore Rosie's relationship with some other characters. However, my ending goal is to have Rosie and Archie together. And thank you! I am very proud of the dialogue. 😊 I hope this chapter met your expectations!

Guest (2): Thank you! I hope you loved this chapter, too!

Roisinnib: Thank you so much!

silentmayhem: You've hit Rosie's character right on the mark! I love your prediction. I totally understand how I could have made Betty react. I love that input! On the other hand, I feel like having her be more understanding about the situation is more like start of the show Betty. Betty was a lot more timid at the start of the show. She even says to Kevin that she took the path of least resistance when Veronica gets her those flowers and cupcakes to apologize for kissing Archie. I feel that her character has developed a lot since then, just because of everything she knows now. Veronica, on the other hand, still was getting used to being the 'new Veronica' in the beginning, which is why she reacted the way she did in my story. I hope that explains a lot. 😊 Thank you so much for your predictions and for your review! Let me know what you think will happen next, because I really love reading suggestions and predictions. 😊 You're awesome!

 **I am honestly astonished by the amount of follows and favorites this story has gotten! Thank you all so much! You are all wonderful and I appreciate every single one of you. 3**

 **I will do my best to update again very soon!**


	6. Conflictions

Chapter 6: Conflictions

* * *

 _Sick of leaving things half done,_

 _Leaving things half said_

 _Oh, I am, I am trying_

 _The best that I can_

Best That I Can by Vance Joy

* * *

Biology ended all to quickly for Rosie's liking.

She and Jughead solidified their meeting time at Pop's for that night. The time of 6:30 pm was ingrained into her memory.

She sat down with Archie at their regular lunch table before anyone else arrived. He pulled out his guitar and notebook as she took the first bite of her sandwich.

"You really meant it when you said you wanted to work on music soon, didn't you?" she joked.

He smiled. "I'm getting stuck on these lyrics. Something about them just isn't…right."

"You play, I'll listen," she told him.

So he did.

" _I'm lost in the memory when the summer ends._

 _Late night when this town gets small._

 _I'll be running through the streets again._

 _Let's make it hard to go on."_

Rosie was impressed with the first verse. The melody fit in with the chords nicely and the strumming pattern was great. She was curious to see how he was struggling when he moved into the chorus.

" _Come on, turn the radio on,_

 _And, honey, let's dance, dance, dance._

 _For the rest of the night,_

 _It's better left unsaid._

 _La la la la la la la la la la la._

 _La la la let's dance, dance, dance…."_

Rosie chuckled as Archie mumbled his way through the rest of the chorus. He stopped playing and laughed with her.

"Okay, now I understand," she replied, amused.

"I've got the melody, but I just don't know what to say," he told her.

"What do you want this song to be about?" she questioned.

"It's about…being in this relationship where you've been through some hard times, but it's easier to just leave that behind and do something that makes you happy. Like dancing," Archie explained slowly.

"Okay," Rosie nodded. "You've already said that once, right? Then find a way to say it again, just modified slightly."

Archie nodded, thinking deeply. He tried out some new lyrics for the second part of the chorus.

" _Yeah come on, turn that music up loud,_

 _And honey, let's dance, dance, dance._

 _For another dark night,_

 _La la la….."_

"Hey, that was a spectacular start!" encouraged Rosie.

"Yeah, but I can't move past the 'dance, dance, dance' part," Archie complained.

Rosie played the melody over in her head. Lyrics sparked through her mind like lightning. "Okay, I've got something, but let's see how it sounds. Do you mind playing the chords?"

Archie did as she asked and she began to sing.

" _Come on, turn the radio on,_

 _And, honey, we'll dance, dance, dance,_

 _For the rest of the night._

 _It's better left unsaid._

 _Yeah, come on, turn the remix up loud,_

 _And, honey, we'll dance, dance, dance,_

 _For the rest of our lives._

 _We're not ready to let go._

 _And forgetting our history in gold."_

"I love that," Archie complimented in awe as soon as he stopped playing. "I actually got some ideas to change a few lyrics."

Rosie nodded, excited to hear what he had come up with. Archie strummed the guitar once more.

" _Come on, turn the radio on,_

 _And, honey, we'll dance, dance, dance,_

 _For the rest of the night._

 _It's better left unsaid._

 _Yeah, come on, play the remix loud._

 _And, honey, we'll dance, dance, dance_

 _For the rest of our lives._

 _I'm not ready to go yet._

 _We've got history to forget."_

Through the entirety of the Andrews boy singing, Rosie had this feeling that those lyrics were right. As soon as he ended, she exploded with excitement.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! That was incredible, Arch!" she exclaimed. "Stick with those for sure."

Familiar voices echoed from a short distance as Kevin, Veronica, and Betty approached the lunch table. The end of an awkward conversation came to an even more awkward conclusion as they reached their destination.

"…but part of me wishes he would just stay in the darn closet," Kevin was monologuing.

Archie and Rosie purposely avoided eye contact at the mention of such a thing. The situation was too fresh in everyone's mind for them not to think of it.

Rosie cleared her throat and took another bite of sandwich, not daring to meet anyone's gaze, especially Veronica's. She could feel the uncomfortable tension in the atmosphere, even without seeing anyone else's body language.

Kevin immediately clarified. "Obviously, I didn't mean literal closet."

Betty sat down with her lunch tray first, trying to clear the air as Veronica's sullen glare dampened the positivity the blonde was trying so hard to portray.

"Are you working on something new?" she wondered, forcing a smile.

Archie's eyes flickered over to the standing Veronica, coldly observing the two musicians at work. He tried not to look in her direction.

"Uh, yeah…Rosie was just helping me with some lyrics," he replied, scribbling something into his notebook.

"But he's sounding great," Rosie told them. "You should play it, Arch."

The redhead winced. "I…I don't know…"

"I'd love to hear it," Betty grinned as Kevin sat down next to her. Veronica begrudgingly did the same, right across from Rosie.

Veronica looked down her nose at the brunette, who merely stared right back, one eyebrow raised questionably.

Rosie knew that if she was going to break through Veronica's mama jaguar act, she was going to have to be just as fierce right back. She wasn't going to break eye contact until Veronica did. And the Lodge girl did first as Archie began to play his song.

"Okay… _come on, turn the radio on, and honey, we'll dance, dance, dance…"_

Rosie tried to focus on Archie's playing, which was spectacular and all, but she couldn't help but observe Betty's gradual descent into sadness. She knew it wasn't about her, but it was about the redhead singing across from the blonde. Betty was still trying to get over Archie. Who could blame her? Not Rosie. Betty Cooper and Archie Andrews seemed like they were meant to be. _And maybe,_ Rosie thought, _they still are._

When Archie finished the chorus, Kevin and Veronica clapped enthusiastically. Even the stony-hearted Veronica Lodge softened at the talents of the musical ginger. But Rosie didn't join in. She watched as Betty's eyes filled quickly with unshed tears.

"Betty? You okay?" Archie wondered.

The blonde gave a watery chuckle. "I'm supposed to say 'yes.' That's what the nice girl always says, but…no, I'm not." She stood rapidly, hands gesturing tensely with emotion. "I want to be. I thought I could be. But it's too much, too fast. Archie…"

"Betty," Archie said kindly. But she began to back away. "Betty, wait!"

Veronica, Kevin, and Rosie looked on in shock as he chased after her. But after a beat, Veronica spun in her seat to face the brunette.

"This is partly your fault, you know," she blamed venomously. "You obviously don't have the decency to leave Betty's heart out of this. You say you apologized and explained everything? Like hell you did. It's obvious that you don't care about anything except saving your own reputation and playing us all like your own stupid, metaphorical fiddles."

Rosie shook her head, staring down at her lunch in disappointment.

"If you hadn't gone in that closet with Archie…"

"If I hadn't gone in that closet with Archie, Cheryl would have," Rosie retorted angrily back, lifting her head suddenly to address Veronica. "It was out of desperation that I tried to save Archie's ass and Betty's feelings. We've already moved past that, Veronica. Everyone but you, including Betty, by the way, has moved past that. It is not my fault that Archie doesn't have feelings for Betty. Most of the time, when we like people, they don't like us back. It's just life – teenage life. Don't put this on me. Don't you freaking dare."

Rosie couldn't stand to sit with her any longer. She grabbed her messenger bag, ditched her lunch, and high tailed her way towards the school.

When she looked over her shoulder, she saw Weatherbee talking to Archie across the field while Kevin and Veronica gawked after her.

She huffed at the thought of Veronica coming after her again. She had hopefully put the former rich princess in her place. She was tired of drama she never meant to be a part of. Was this what life would be like in Riverdale? Was this town too damn small to even mind your own business?

Rosie exhaled in exasperation as she strode forward.

Betty was just ahead. Maybe Rosie could talk to her, find out what would help her feel better.

If there was anything Rosie hated in this world, it was seeing her friends in pain; even the new ones.

"Betty."

The blonde's ponytail whipped around as she turned her head. "Hi, Rosie." She wiped at the tears streaming down her face.

Rosie sighed and pulled the other girl in for a hug. Betty, although surprised, accepted gratefully. The gesture was something that the Cooper girl wasn't expecting, but moved her to be even more emotional in the arms of the new girl.

"I'm sorry," Rosie told her quietly. "I'm so sorry."

The two pulled away and began walking together.

"It's not your fault, Rosie," Betty said, shaking her head. "You have been so amazing through all of this. I should be apologizing to you for being such a hotheaded bitch at the party. I didn't even give you two time to explain. I ran out before you could rationalize. Besides, you can't control Archie's feelings. It's obvious that he isn't interested. He told me himself. I tried to keep it together, but…"

"First of all," Rosie said, "you reacted in a very normal way to what happened. I told you nothing would happen and then you found me and Archie in a compromising position? That's totally understandable, Betty. And no one, including Archie, blames you for your own feelings. Crushes are called crushes for a reason – most of the time, it crushes you. I'm not going to sugarcoat this, but it's going to take some time before you're ready to treat Archie like a best friend again. Getting over someone is hard. It's earth-shattering, but that doesn't mean you'll never be able to piece yourself back together again. In fact, it's the opposite. Over time, you'll be yourself again and you'll move on to somebody who will love you unconditionally."

The two girls paused before entering the school. Betty smiled at Rosie.

"Thanks, Rosie," she told her, "thank you so much for being there for me."

"I consider you a friend," Rosie told her firmly. "I'm there for my friends."

Rosie was slightly nervous to call Betty a friend, especially after everything that had happened, as well as the fact that they had only known each other for about a week. But Betty grinned.

"I appreciate that," she replied.

They entered the school together, heading for Betty's locker. As they walked, Betty's face fell into a puzzled expression.

"Are you okay?" Rosie wondered as they stopped at the locker.

Betty shrugged slightly as she entered her lock combination. "I…I don't know. I just…has Veronica been…rude to you?"

Rosie nodded. "Truthfully, yes."

"What has she said to you?"

"You really want to know?"

"I do. I'm trying to figure out who my real friends are. Women don't tear other women down – they build them up. So what has Veronica been saying to you, Rosie?"

Rosie was impressed with Betty's boldness and respected it.

"She just blamed me for making you cry at the lunch table," Rosie listed, "and she's also called me a shady bitch, somehow called you a metaphorical fiddle that I played, and told me that I cared about was my reputation."

Betty shook her head in amazement at hearing it all. "And she claims that I'm her new best friend. But to turn around and throw shade at someone who I also consider a friend? That is not okay with me at all."

Rosie sighed. "To be fair, she's just trying to protect you."

"Yeah, but at what cost? Making someone else feel like trash because of a simple misunderstanding? She said she wanted to change from the person she was in New York. Well, I don't see anything different about her from what the tabloids said if this is how she treats other people behind my back."

The brunette's eyebrows shot up. "Sounds like you're planning something."

"I am. And she's going to get an earful."

* * *

 _"L-e-t-s g-o, l-e-t-s g-o, let's go, let's go. Go and get it, get it, let's go, let's go! L-e-t – "_

"Stand down, Vixens!"

Cheryl Blossom's voice vibrated through the Riverdale High School gymnasium as the music stopped abruptly.

Rosie had been recruited to help the Vixens with their sound mixing for the pep rally by Betty earlier that afternoon after their talk at her locker. She was annoyed with Cheryl's dictator-like management of the cheerleaders, as well as her rapid-fire commands sent in her own direction. She sat with her head in her hands by the speakers as Cheryl gave an egotistical soliloquy about the pep rally affecting her and her dead twin.

"And listen up," she ordered. "The weather's predicting a downpour the night of the rally, but already, you're raining on my parade."

Rosie rolled her eyes.

"With Jason so present in our collective consciousness, all eyes will be on me. Will this beautiful, exotic, hothouse flower drown under the town's scrutiny, or be swamped by her emotions? The answer, ladies, is 'no' and 'no.' That said, I need star power. I need the Pussycats. Stay loose and limber, ladies, while I make a call."

Rosie watched in annoyed disgust as the redhead strut out of the gym, cell phone in hand, while Betty and Veronica approached. The Lodge girl followed Betty like a puppy, as if she was trying to gain favor in the blonde's eyes; as if she was trying to show her that she was a better friend compared to Rosie.

Betty sat near Rosie's feet, setting her pom-poms down and sighing.

"You look like you're having so much fun," Betty said to Rosie sarcastically.

"So much," chuckled Rosie. "I just love being controlled by a psychopathic tyrant in a cheerleading uniform."

The two girls shared a laugh as Veronica looked on incredulously. Her features morphed into a jealous frown. She addressed Betty.

"After this practice, I'll totally need a pedicure. You?"

"I'll have homework," Betty replied.

Rosie noticed the tense atmosphere between the three of them, and awkwardly decided to look down at her phone. She scrolled mindlessly through Instagram as the other two girls talked.

"I know everyone grieves differently, but Cheryl's hosting a pep rally to cope with her loss. That's either brilliant, or psychotic, or both."

"Yeah, well, at least Cheryl's not putting on an act. Pretending she's a butterfly when she's really a wasp," Betty retorted coldly.

Rosie didn't see the look she sent Veronica, but she knew it was one of bitterness. She was nervous as to how Veronica would react to such a statement.

The raven-haired girl tilted her head, soaking in the not-so-subtle jab at her character.

"For the record, the only reason I went after Rosie here is because I care about you," she defended. "I don't know what she told you, but I'll admit, yes, I've called her names and gotten in her face about it because I don't trust her."

"I'm sitting right here, you know," Rosie replied rapidly.

But the two girls seemed to be in their own world.

"Oh, so you did it to protect me?" Betty questioned doubtfully.

"Damn straight," was the immediate answer out of Veronica's mouth.

"Rosie and I were fine until you butt in this morning with those stupid flowers and that ridiculous gift certificate," Betty accused. "I appreciate the gesture, but Rosie and I are fine. In fact, we're more than fine. We've worked through it all! I know that Archie doesn't like me like that. I've accepted it. And you should, too. I don't feel the need to make Rosie or Archie explain themselves any more. I'm glad you feel the need to stand up for me, Veronica, but I can stand up for myself."

"Oh, like when Cheryl tried fat-shaming you at the table the first day of school?"

"Are you kidding me? You're bringing that up in this conversation? Veronica, that has nothing to do with the fact that you've been tearing down an innocent behind my back and claiming that you're standing up for me! Rosie is a friend. She's proven her honesty and loyalty to me today when she was the one who got up and went after me at lunch. If you really cared, you would have done that for me, too."

Veronica crossed her arms and glanced doubtfully between Rosie and Betty. "Never speak to me again. If that's what you want, I'll accept that. But what, exactly, is wrong with protecting you from people that I don't think are trustworthy?"

"Are you seriously still making that your argument?" Betty exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yes, but I'm…"

"And this is your way of protecting me? Of trying to be friends with me?"

"How do you know I'm not trustworthy?" Rosie cut in, standing up to join in the conversation.

This shut both of the other girls up quickly. Veronica met her eye and glared.

"I don't trust anyone who's caught in a pose like that and tells me that no canoodling happened," Veronica explained.

"But this isn't about my relationship with you at this point," Rosie declared firmly. "You made this about me and Betty. Here's the thing, Veronica – you can't control Betty's thoughts and feelings about people. And she can't control yours. Friendship is about respect. You are disrespecting her thoughts and feelings about me by trying to make me feel bad about a situation that's not even about you! Did you ever think about that?"

Veronica was clearly taken aback by the brutally harsh truth that Rosie laid out in front of her. Her eyes were wide.

But before either she or Betty could respond, Cheryl interjected.

"The Pussycats are in. Oh, sorry, ladies, am I interrupting?"

"I'll see you later, Betty," Rosie said suddenly, grabbing her backpack.

"Where are you going?" the blonde wondered.

"I've got to go get dinner before I go home," she replied quickly. "I just remembered. Talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

The brunette was done with girl drama. She didn't want to be caught in the backlash of a stupid misunderstanding any more. And Cheryl cutting in? That was a recipe for even more chaos then before.

Maybe a small town wasn't something that she would enjoy. People knew each other here way too well. At least in a big city school, it was easy to stay anonymous. If drama happened, you could always find someone new who didn't know about you beforehand. Everyone and their mother knew about everybody's favorite color in Riverdale. Rosie knew it wasn't long before the Lodge, Cooper, and Blossom family figured out all they could about her. And she wasn't even remotely interested in that.

* * *

Pop's Diner was at the edge of the North side of town. And even though it was half the town away from Riverdale High, it only took about an hour for Rosie to walk there. In Portland, half a town away was a forty-five-minute car ride and a four-hour walk.

She was grateful for the calm, quaint, small-town scenery as she trudged further away from the friendship telenovela that had become her life.

 _When did things turn so wrong?_ She thought. _Is this what life in Riverdale is going to be like? Annoying? Everybody offering their opinions about everybody else's lives? Drama-filled?_

She inhaled sharply as her gaze fell upon the old-school restaurant ahead. The neon sign proudly announced that it was called Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. This was the diner that Archie had raved about during one of their music sessions. He was obsessed with it – and it seemed others in town were even more smitten with the place. Archie had even referenced it as the 'heart of Riverdale.'

Rosie's mouth upturned into a small smile. She was curious to see if it lived up to the hype.

The brunette entered the diner and adjusted the dark red beanie on her head, scanning the place for a crown-shaped beanie similar to her own.

"Hi, there, miss," said the elderly man behind the counter kindly. "What can I get started for you?"

"Hi," she replied. "I'm looking for Jughead. Is he here?"

The man chuckled. "I think the better question is, 'when is he not?'"

She smiled as he gestured to a booth to the left.

"Thank you," she told him, walking in the direction of the gray hat near the middle of the diner.

She slid into the sea across from Jughead, who didn't look up from his laptop.

"You're a writer?" she asked.

"I'd like to think so," he replied, eyes still not leaving his screen. His fingers flew across the keyboard.

"What are you writing about?"

She slung off her bag and put in on the vinyl seat next to her.

"Jason Blossom's death," he said grimly. "About how it changed Riverdale."

Rosie's eyebrows raised. "Are we characters in your story that have pseudonyms?"

"Nope, everyone's true identity is gladly revealed through the use of real names."

"Gladly?"

"There are some people in this town who like to hide behind façades. Using their real names changes that. The truth is important to me."

Rosie nodded.

"And speaking of the truth," the dark-haired boy continued, "what do you know about Archie and Grundy?"

Rosie sighed. "Not much, but enough."

"How much is enough?"

"I overheard them talking after the pep rally. From what it sounded like, they weren't exactly talking about music."

"What did they say?"

"He basically chased her down after the assembly and asked her to talk with him in private. He said it was about music, but I'm not convinced. Then Ms. Grundy told him he could only meet with her during official office hours. It wasn't what they said, it was…how they said it. As if they knew what they needed to say, but weren't expressing it verbally. It creeped me out." She sighed and shook her head. "Am I overthinking this?"

Jughead swiped a few fries in ketchup, stuck them in his mouth, and shook his head, too. "No, you're not. I saw them – together."

Rosie's mind reeled, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. She almost laughed.

"Are you kidding me?" she said in disbelief.

Jughead was grim as he sipped on a milkshake. "I wouldn't kid about my ex best friend and the school's music teacher making out in music room."

"They were…making out?" Rosie replied in disgust.

"Can we not talk about it? It's making me nauseous," he told her, snatching up more of his French fries.

"I can see that." Sarcasm dripped off every word.

The dark-haired boy smirked slightly as he pushed an empty plate away. But his face fell when he crossed his arms. "We can't just let this affair continue."

"Of course not," Rosie agreed. "So, what do we do? I mean, besides the obvious, which is talk to Archie about it."

"You tell me. You've been hanging around him lately."

"You grew up with him."

"Doesn't mean I know him."

"It means you're more familiar with his reactions in negative or emotional situations."

"Touché."

"So…ideas?"

Jughead's beanie fell backwards on his head ever so slightly at he looked around the diner, thinking deeply.

After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"The best thing we can do is simply confront him."

"And when should we do that?" Rosie asked.

A small bell jingled, announcing the arrival of a new customer at Pop's. Jughead turned in his seat, recognizing the ginger that had just walked in.

"How about now?"

Rosie sighed. "Neutral ground is always good. It makes someone less likely to feel like they are being attacked."

"Even if they are being attacked," Jughead finished, nodding along with her.

The two smiled at each other before spinning in their seats and catching the Andrews boy's eye.

Unfortunately for them, another customer had come in while they were talking, and it was Rosie's least favorite person in the world at the moment besides Cheryl – Veronica Lodge. She sat at the stools in front of the counter, talking with what looked like an older version of herself.

 _Must be her mom,_ Rosie thought. _And she probably hates me, too._

Archie spotted them at the booth and waved half-heartedly at Veronica before she could speak. He made his way over, looking shocked at Rosie and Jughead sitting together.

"Hey, Rosie," he greeted warmly. His cheeks tinted a faint pink. "Hey, Jug."

"Archie," Jughead nodded. "Want to sit?"

The ginger glanced at the counter, as if nervous to sit, but agreed.

"Sure. Scoot over, Ro."

So Rosie did as Archie requested and moved to her left, making room for the boy on the bench. He folded his arms and rested them on the table, as if waiting for something to happen.

Rosie knew that the conversation would turn awkward in about three seconds, so she decided to start with something relatively normal.

"How was football practice?"

"It was good. Coach Clayton wants me to try out for co-captain."

"Archie, that's spectacular!"

"Thanks. I heard you got dragged into Vixens rehearsals."

Rosie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Betty talked me into doing sound for the pep rally. Not exactly loving being under Cheryl's rules."

"I don't blame you," he chuckled. His face quickly morphed into a serious expression as he turned to glance at Jughead's grim stare. "What's up, Jug?"

"What's up is I saw you, Archie," he replied slowly. "And Rosie heard you."

A lightning-fast glimpse of panic ran through Archie's eyes, but he quickly leveled himself. However, it was in vain, as Rosie immediately caught on.

"You and Ms. Grundy, the music teacher," she told him.

"Would you two keep your voices down? There's people around," he retorted softly. His eyes flickered around the diner, searching for anyone who might snitch on him.

"I saw you in the music room with her after school today, Arch. I saw you together," Jughead reiterated. "We are trying to help you, dude. Even though I'm not any more. Rosie is. She cares and I care."

Archie sighed, putting his head in his hands.

Rosie turned her body towards him. "Archie, we're worried."

"About what?" he demanded rapidly. "What are you so worried about?"

Rosie was firm. "She's a teacher, Arch. You're sixteen. How old is she?"

"She's twenty-four," he replied. "Not much older than we are."

"Eight years makes a significant age gap, especially when it's your music teacher," Jughead pointed out. "How long? You and Grundy."

"Since the summer."

"That's why you didn't go on the road trip with me?"

"That's why. I like her, Jug. Rosie, I really like her."

Rosie felt close to tears. Her new friend was having an affair with a teacher and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. She shook her head slowly.

"What, Ro?" Archie wondered, exasperated.

"When I lived in Portland, there was this physics teacher that was seeing a seventeen-year-old student. They were caught and he was sent off to jail. He and the kid got in tons of trouble. The teacher is now a registered sex offender and the kid isn't allowed to see him at all. It was a mess, Arch. The school went ape-crazy and all the parents were shunning this poor student and his family. And, of course, the teacher's family. What we're saying is, Archie, that we don't want something like that to happen to you," Rosie relayed quietly.

The ginger sighed and nodded. "I get it. I appreciate it. But I still like her."

"I'm guessing she's the reason you've been acting weird since summer," Jughead cut in.

"One of the reasons," Archie admitted solemnly.

"One of the reasons?" Rosie questioned.

Archie glanced around the restaurant once more. "We were at Sweetwater River on July 4th. We heard a gunshot. _The_ gunshot."

Rosie's jaw went slack.

Archie was almost afraid to say anything else to the two of them.

"Dude, you have to tell somebody," Jughead urged.

"I can't, and neither can you guys. If somebody finds out, then what happened to that kid at Rosie's school is what's going to happen to me."

"Which is why you should stop this relationship now. Before it's too late," Rosie confirmed resolutely.

Archie begrudgingly nodded. "I get it, I do. I just…what am I supposed to do? I have feelings for her, Rosie. Feelings that aren't easily just…changed."

"She's messing with you, man. She's messing with your mind," Jughead warned. "I saw you guys."

"She's not messing with my mind, Jug," refused Archie. "You don't even know her!"

His thick eyebrows scrunched in frustration.

Rosie knew that Jughead was right. Ms. Grundy may have been using Archie to her advantage, but she also knew that it was possible Ms. Grundy had feelings for Archie, too.

"That may be true, Jug, but I know Ms. Grundy, too," she interjected decisively. "She's not some humanoid robot with no emotion. It's completely possible that she may like him back."

"Yeah, she's not some psychopath," the redhead agreed.

"First of all, that would be sociopath, and secondly, sure, why not? It's possible. But how do we know that? How do you know that, Archie?" spat Jughead.

"You don't even know her, Jug! Hell, you don't even know me!" Archie exclaimed, still trying to keep his voice low.

"Maybe I don't," Jughead replied, throwing his hands up in the air. "Maybe I know nothing. But I used to know this guy once. Archie Andrews. Maybe you've heard of him? He wasn't perfect, but…he always tried to do the right thing, at least."

"Your right isn't his right," Rosie defended reasonably. "Your moral compass and his are completely separate things, morphed by experiences, emotions…"

Jughead, at this point, was utterly bewildered. "Whose side are you on?"

"Maybe I'm not on a side," she snapped. "I'm trying to find a way that Archie understands why we addressed the situation in the first place. And besides that, if you don't understand where he's coming from, you're not going to say the right thing to reason with him."

Jughead was silent for a moment, staring her down suspiciously. Rosie was still a bit of mystery, even to him. Archie was more impressed than anything else.

Rosie stared right back, waiting for an answer. She was determined to find middle ground between the two. She felt that Archie's relationship with Grundy shouldn't be justified, but understood. Why did he feel the need to be with her? What motivated him to even start that relationship in the first place?

However, she was also set on helping Jughead convince their friend that what he heard at Sweetwater River in July was most likely the gunshot that ended Jason Blossom's life. To not go to the police because his eight-year older girlfriend begged him not to? That was the biggest red flag that Rosie had ever heard.

She was anxious for Archie, wondering why the high school music teacher found him so interesting. Sure, he was attractive for a sixteen-year-old boy, and he was talented, but she was so much older! There were probably a plethora of local guys who were interested in her. So why a high school sophomore who was still hiding his passions from his own dad?

"Listen, Arch," Jughead sighed after a long stretch of silence, "Rosie's right. I may not understand why you chose to do what you did, or even why you're still doing it, but…what I do know is how much trouble you'll be in if you're caught. And how much I would hate to see you completely destroyed by whatever Grundy does with you."

Before either Rosie or Archie could respond, Jughead stood, grabbed his laptop, tossed cash on the table, and strode out of the diner.

Rosie was in shock. The crown beanie-wearing boy hadn't even said goodbye. But he was right, too.

Archie glanced over at her, expression almost sheepish.

"Thank you," he told her gratefully.

She shook her head. "Don't thank me. I'm trying to show you that your relationship with Grundy is unhealthy. It's abnormal, Archie."

He grasped his hands together, nodding. "I'm thankful that you're worried. It shows that you're a true friend. But Grundy makes me happy. She makes me feel…like my music matters."

At this, Rosie chuckled slightly. "Archie, you are one of the most talented singer-songwriters I've ever met in all the places that I've been. You could easily make it as a mainstream, acoustic, folk-pop artist on the radio today. You don't need a person to reassure you that your music matters. You work hard. You are true to yourself and your lyrics speak truth. You don't need to be in a relationship where this is such an important factor to you, because, honestly, you're too much of a genius."

And, at that moment, something in Archie changed. The way he smiled at Rosie was different after that. But, of course, Rosie didn't notice. She was too busy trying to ease Archie out of a toxic, treacherous relationship.

Archie's smile was contagious. "You are too nice for your own good, Rosie Green."

"Order for Andrews!"

A female voice called out from behind the counter. Archie looked and slid out from the booth, waiting for Rosie to grab her messenger bag and stand before making his way over.

The woman that had called his name was none other than the older clone of Veronica, who was still seated in front of her.

"Andrews?" said the woman, as if realizing something. "You must be Fred Andrews' son."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Archie," he replied warmly, taking the bag from her hands.

"Well, Archie, you're just as handsome as your father was," she purred. Her gaze landed on Rosie and a small smirk crept up on the corners of her lips. "Well aren't you a spitting image of your mother?"

Rosie frowned. "You know my mother?"

The woman nodded. "She went to school with us at Riverdale High back in the day. What's your name, sweetie?"

"Rosie," she said.

"I'm Veronica's mom," the woman introduced herself. "Hermione." She turned to her daughter. "Did you mention these two lovely people earlier, _mija?"_

Veronica fidgeted uncomfortably. "Yes, mom. They sat with me at lunch today."

"Oh, did they now?" Hermione speculated playfully. "Are you two headed home?"

"Rosie and I were about to hang at my house, Mrs. Lodge," Archie told her.

Rosie shot a smile in his direction. She knew he wanted to work on music again.

"Isn't that a coincidence? Veronica was about to go home, too. Would the two of you mind walking Veronica back to the Pembrooke?" She turned to her daughter. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

"We don't mind at all," Rosie conjectured, smile slightly strained.

Veronica's grin was plastered on.

"Wonderful," Hermione smirked. "See you at home, Veronica."

Rosie knew that this walk was about to get very awkward very quickly. But, somehow, she knew better than to argue with the Lodge mama bear, and exited Pop's with Archie and Veronica in tow.

Anxiety snuck through her veins, creeping into her heart, pumping it faster.

Was Veronica going to try to crush her again?

* * *

 **I'm so sorry I haven't updated since December! But I'm on spring break, so expect at least one more chapter before I go back to school for spring quarter!**

 **I am OVERWHELMED by the amount of people that are interested in this story! It's honestly insane how many people have followed this story. I don't have time to look through everyone's usernames, but a great big THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU to the 112 people that have followed this story, and the same to the 80 people who favorited!**

 **Now, let's move on to my review responses:**

silentmayhem: I don't remember if you got my PM, but your review made total sense to me! I love your exploration of the characters' reactions to Rosie, as well as different situations that may take place between them all. I love your predictions. And thank you! I've tried really hard to make sure that the established characters stay true to their actors' portrayal on the show. And I love the Ethel suggestion! I feel like they would be friends for sure.

UniqueLightxLove: I know, right? Ronnie is a bit too much sometimes for me, especially in the current episodes of season 2. I feel like I'm constantly rolling my eyes. And yay! I'm so glad you're liking the story! Thank you for the review!

Guest: Thank you! I guess I do use 'spectacular' a lot, but it's a habit of Rosie's to call things spectacular. It's kind of a strange quirk of hers. 😊

GirlyGamer1986: Sorry it took so long! Here's that chapter you wanted!

RoseAmeliaSarahNoblePond: I'm so glad you like it! And yeah, I feel like I kind of created Rosie to form a quick friendship with Archie. There's something so magnetic about them together that I just LOVE writing. I hope you liked their interaction with Jughead! It played out a little different in print than I imagined, but there's a lot more Juggie/Rosie interactions coming within the next chapters. They're definitely going to start getting to know each other more. 😊

 **Everyone, let me know your predictions about the walk that Archie, Rosie, and Veronica have to take together! What do you think will happen? Will Veronica go easy on Rosie? Will Archie verbally attack Veronica for being mean to Rosie? Will Rosie freak out on Veronica or Archie?**

 **I'll try to post soon – I promise! Thank you all so much for reading this chapter of** Ends of the Earth! 😊


	7. The Refresh Button

Chapter 7: The Refresh Button

* * *

 _Bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands_

 _Good news will work its way to all them plans_

 _We both got fired on exactly the same day_

 _Well, we'll float on, good news is on the way_

Float On by Modest Mouse

* * *

If anyone had seen Archie, Veronica, and Rosie all walking together in a line, they would have never thought that the three of them had anything in common. Each teen carried a unique persona, style, and charisma that couldn't be matched in a town like Riverdale.

Veronica, with her chic fashion sense and well-off upbringing, stood out because of her background. New York was a far cry from the hick town she considered Riverdale to be.

Archie was the new golden boy of the high school – varsity football that could lead him to many athletic scholarships in the near future. But closet musical genius? Yet another secret that was hidden away.

Rosie – the hipster new girl with a West coast style of clothing and aspirations bigger than the tiny town itself. Her honesty translated into every aspect of her life, including her music, which was nothing that the few students at Riverdale High had ever heard before.

So, what did these three teenagers from completely separate walks of life have to talk about? What brought them together that night? What commonality did they have?

The answer: Betty Cooper.

They had trudged down a good two blocks before anyone spoke. They were all too hesitant to start a conversation in fear of another argument breaking out. Rosie, nestled between Veronica and Archie, felt she may be able to be a buffer between them, and began to talk.

"Is Betty still mad at you?" she asked Veronica timidly.

The other girl sighed. "She's not even texting me. I feel like I'm back to being the shallow, toxic rich bitch who ruins everything in her path. Which is unfortunate, because even though I only just met Betty, it really felt like we were meant to be best friends. Like…like it was our destiny, and now…it's like there was this train heading to the rest of my life and I just missed it."

"I'm sorry," Rosie told her genuinely. "That may be partly my fault."

Veronica shook her head. "Rosie, you were right. I can't control what Betty thinks and feels. I may have trust issues when it comes to people stabbing me in the back, but…you didn't stab anyone in the back. And neither did you, Archie. I'm sorry for anything I said to either of you. You're innocent."

"Thank you," Archie replied.

"No need for thanks," the Lodge girl chuckled. "I needed to get over myself and I did. I said I'm trying to do a refresh of my life and this is part of it. Consider that old part of Veronica gone. Now onto a bright future of a girl who no longer assumes everyone is attempting to rid her of their group."

"You can't just refuse to consider your past experiences with friends," reasoned Rosie. "To completely forget your own experiences is foolish. You use your experiences to navigate through life. You're right to be cautious of people. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that."

Veronica smiled. "I'll do that."

The three were quiet for another few minutes, relishing in the fact that whatever drama they had before was gone. It was a new day for their friendships.

Rosie was particularly glad it was over. She was slightly stressed because of everything, and was glad that they could all go back to sitting at the same lunch table again.

"How long have you known Betty, Archie?" Veronica wondered. "She mentioned that you two have been friends since forever, but when did forever start for you?"

Rosie's eyebrows raised in the redhead's direction. She, too, was curious to hear their whole story.

Archie grinned, reminiscing. "Betty and I have been next-door neighbor since we were four. We've always gone to the same school, been in the same class. I remember in the second grade, I was having trouble reading, and my teacher, Mrs. Gibrock, told my mom and dad that I should stay back a year to get caught up. Betty was so against us not being in the same grade that she took it upon herself to tutor me every single day."

Rosie laughed.

"In the second grade?" questioned Veronica in disbelief.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Anyway, when I passed, thanks to Betty, I kissed her and I asked her to marry me."

Rosie laughed even harder. "Oh my gosh, that is the most adorable thing I've ever heard!"

"It was definitely an adorable moment," agreed Archie, laughing with her. "But she was like, 'oh, little Archie, we're too young. Ask me when we're eighteen and I'll say yes.'"

But then Archie's face fell. "I hate that I hurt her. I hate that I couldn't feel what she needed me to."

"You were honest with her when you needed to be. Give her time, Archie," Veronica comforted him. "That's all you can do. And don't despair. I don't think your story with Betty is over."

"And no matter what happens, I think your story with Betty won't ever end. You've known each other and been friends for too long," Rosie agreed.

Archie nodded, thinking over what the two girls had said. "Okay. I'll give her some time." Then, slowly, his expression changed to one of curiosity. "So now that Ronnie and I've spilled our life story, it's your turn, Rosie."

Rosie adjusted her bag anxiously and chuckled, trying to hide her emotions for once. "No, it's fine. My life hasn't been very interesting. You guys would just get lulled to sleep."

"A girl whose family moves every few years all around the world?" Veronica responded, doubtingly. "Yeah, I'm sure your life has been more boring than a nature documentary about soil."

"It's true," Rosie defended. "I was born in Portland and we moved away, then moved back, then moved here. Ta da! End of life story."

"Too vague," Archie commented.

"Way too vague," Veronica confirmed. "Come on, Rosie! Juicy details, please!"

The topic of her life in general made Rosie uncomfortable. She didn't like to talk about herself much, or her family. She didn't mind discussing music with people, including music she had written, but…story of her life? People didn't need to know how rocky those moves were for her. Sure, she could have just shared the basics, but 'juicy details?'

For the first time in a long time, Rosie was quiet. She didn't feel like the two needed to know anything else.

"You really don't want to talk about it?" Veronica wondered. "Was it that bad?"

"It wasn't bad," Rosie fired back rapidly. "I just…I just haven't had a super interesting childhood. That's all."

She stopped talking after that, staring straight ahead as she fiddled with the strap of her school messenger bag.

Archie and Veronica shared a puzzled look, but the Lodge teen didn't question Rosie's refusal any more. She was determined to find out more about the brunette musician, even if that musician wasn't willing to talk.

"Why don't we just stop here?" Veronica suggested, coming to a halt in her tracks. "The Pembrooke is down this road." She pointed to the left. "I'm guessing the two of you live over there." She pointed to the right.

Rosie nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you, Veronica," Archie said gratefully. "I'm really glad that we're all friends again."

"It was about time I saw the light," she joked. "I'll see the both of you tomorrow at school?"

"Definitely," smiled Rosie. "Have a good night, Veronica."

"You too, Rosie," the raven-haired girl smiled back. "Write some good music for me, alright you two?"

"We will," Archie laughed. "See you later."

And with that, the conversation that the three teenagers had been dreading ended on a surprisingly pleasant note.

Archie and Rosie watched Veronica stride off in the direction of her family's luxury penthouse, both shocked at the outcome.

"I thought she was going to flay us alive," Rosie admitted as the two began walking again.

"I did, too," Archie chuckled. "I thought she was going to fling us off a cliff!"

"Right? I was not expecting that to go as well as it did."

"And she apologized! After all we'd heard about how ruthless she was, and she says she's sorry!"

"I felt like the world would stop spinning from shock!"

"That was kind of awesome."

"I guess it was, wasn't it?"

The two walked and talked about the previous conversation, as well as music and homework, until they stopped outside of Archie's house. He still held the Pop's takeout in his hands, the bag smelling strongly of the delicious of burgers and fries.

"Do you still want to work on music?" he wondered. "I know I kind of threw it out there as an excuse to make Mrs, Lodge think we actually had something to do, but…"

"Of course!" exclaimed Rosie. "I'm always down for music."

All of a sudden, a loud rumble echoed from the Green girl's stomach. She winced. "I should probably go home and eat dinner first, though."

"Just eat with me and my dad," Archie proposed. "I'm sure he gets tired of just talking to me."

Rosie laughed, happy to accept the offer. She hated eating dinner with her family. Most of the time, it was just her mom and dad talking to Will about all the wonderful things he had done during the school day. "Why not? We could always do homework afterwards, then work on some songs."

"Great," grinned Archie. He started up the steps, but Rosie knew she still needed to say something about his relationship with Grundy.

"Archie, wait," she called.

He turned quickly, worried he had said something wrong.

"I just wanted to make sure you understood that I in no way support your relationship with Ms. Grundy," she told him blatantly.

Archie nodded. "I know. I understand why."

"I still want to encourage you to be cautious. In fact, my advice to you would be to break up with her."

The redhead was slightly taken aback. "Break up?"

"Think about it, Arch," she told him. "It's only a matter of time before another random student that's not me or Jughead walks past the music room and sees the two of you together. You heard a gunshot on July 4th. That could have bene the gunshot that killed Jason Blossom. To stay quiet in that is a federal offense. Did you know that? You can't keep that to yourself, Archie. The police could solve the mystery of Jason's death if you come forward. That doesn't mean I'm saying you need to tell them about your relationship with Grundy. You could leave her out of it – say you were alone working on songs or something. Ending things with her while everyone else is still in the dark will save you a lot of hurt and Grundy from a bunch of legal crap."

Archie didn't speak, but he nodded. "I understand. And you've made me think a lot about what I need to do. I do still have feelings for her, but…there are more important things right now. I'll work out a way to end the relationship. And I promise that I'll keep you in the loop while it happens."

Rose was so happy that she had gotten through to him, that she bounded over and gave him a bear hug. She wrapped her arms around the redhead's neck, squeezing him tightly.

"I'm so glad," she replied.

Archie laughed and hugged her back. He was glad to have a friend like her.

"Rosie?" called a voice from the front door.

In spite of their nice moment, both Rosie and Archie's reflexes got the better of them and they hurriedly let go of each other.

"Hi, Mr. Andrews," she said cheerily. Somehow, while Archie's face was tomato red, Rosie's complexion hadn't changed.

"We've got Pop's if you want to stay for dinner," the older man offered.

"Already made her stay, dad," Archie chuckled as the two headed up the steps to the house.

"Good," nodded Fred approvingly. "We always order an extra burger anyways. You should see how much this kid can eat, Rosie. He's like a dang vacuum cleaner!"

Rosie crossed the threshold laughing, while Archie complained.

"Dad!"

"What? I can't lie to the girl, Archie. It's true."

"I'm all for the truth, Mr. Andrews," she joked cheerfully.

The night went on to be one of the best in Rosie's life. Dinner was a delight, and not just because of Pop's scrumptious burgers and fries, but because Rosie felt as if she was one of the family. Fred asked her questions about school and included her in conversation. Both he and Archie loved hearing her jokes and harsh, but reasonable, opinions on the town, the high school, and the students that attended there. They listened to things she wondered about the town and what life was like for them as Archie grew up.

After dinner, she and Archie sat the kitchen table and did their homework, breezing through all the assignments their teachers had given them.

And, after homework, Archie made the excuse of going back to Rosie's house to check out her music setup. Apparently, he still hadn't told his dad that Rosie's equipment was actually in his separate garage out back. The two easily snuck out and immediately got to work co-writing a new song.

Rosie and Archie's friendship was solidified, and the two were quickly becoming best friends. It was a first for Rosie, and she couldn't have been happier.

* * *

The next day, Rosie awoke feeling as if someone had hit the refresh button on her life. Like Veronica, she was determined to make life in Riverdale different.

She threw on a striped t-shirt, baggy mom jeans, ankle books, a belt, and a black leather jacket, put her hair in her usual braid, and cheerily bounded downstairs to grab a quick breakfast.

Her parents weren't up yet, and neither was Will. She had gotten up earlier than usual, still excited about the song she and Archie had written, as well as the fact that she and Veronica had made up. She was anxious to tell Betty all about it.

She walked to school, stopping in town to grab a coffee along the way. It was still scalding by the time she walked into the student lounge to find Betty and Kevin on the couches, scouring over the geometry homework from the night before. The two smiled at her.

"Veronica told me all about your conversation last night," Betty told her happily, standing to hug her. "I'm so glad that it's all worked through!"

Rosie hugged her back. "Ugh, me too! I was so tired of all the stupid drama."

"It was a great show, though," Kevin self-proclaimed. "I have to admit, Veronica can be a bit of conniving bitch, but man, it was so entertaining to see you put her in her place! I loved it."

Betty and Rosie laughed.

"Glad to hear you think so, Kevin," the brunette chuckled as she shed her leather jacket and sat down on the couch next to them.

"Now that we've worked through that – what did you get for question three, Rosie?" Betty asked.

Rosie took out her textbook and notebook full of answers. "Um…twenty-four centimeters? Archie helped me. I don't really remember how we did it."

But something distracted her…Reggie Mantle loudly announcing his dealings with the sheriff while being pressed about Jason Blossom's death.

She glanced behind her to see the tall, dark-haired football player addressing a small crowd of fellow athletes, including Moose and another guy named Chuck Clayton, who Rosie recognized as the son of the football coach. Veronica rested against the arm of his chair, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. The raven-haired girl caught Rosie's eye and they shared a smile.

But Reggie didn't notice Rosie listening in.

"And Sheriff Keller's grilling me, Mantle the Magnificent. 'Cause I'd want Blossom dead when he was like the only good quarterback we had."

Archie walked past her, distracted by something on his phone.

"And speaking of offensive tight-ends, I should've sent the cops to you, Moose, because here's another unsolved mystery – what exactly were you and Kevin doing at the river, huh?"

Rosie rolled her eyes. And to think that Reggie wasn't as much of douche as she originally believed…

"Or does being with the sheriff's son give you a free pass?" The cocky football player spun in his seat to address the boy in question. "Keller?"

Reggie's eyes glazed over Rosie, who merely raised an eyebrow at him, silently telling him to back off. His smirk faltered for a moment, as if he regretted saying all of that out loud. But no one else noticed.

"Reggie's just being a blowhard, Kev," Betty told him firmly.

"I don't care what he says," Kevin replied, staring bitterly at the other teen.

"I do if he's picking on a friend," Rosie chimed in, glaring at Reggie with a certain amount of disappointment and sourness that could have curdled milk.

Reggie just shook his head at her and turned back around to talk to the only people that seemed to care – the other mindless jocks.

"I mean, let's think about it," he continued. "If a kid at Riverdale killed Jason, it's not gonna be a jock, right? Now, let's be honest. Isn't it always some spooky, scrawny, pathetic internet troll, too busy writing his manifestos to get laid?"

Rosie huffed a breath of air, realizing who he meant. Her head snapped to the side to see Jughead leaning against the counter next to the vending machine where Archie was fervently trying to insert a dollar bill.

The two shared an annoyed expression. Although Jughead had left the diner in a frustrated state, he appreciated the fact that Rosie had been able to get through to Archie in a manner that was more suited the redhead's way of thinking.

"Some smug, moody, serial killer fanboy freak? Like Jughead?"

The group of football players cast their gazes on the beanie-wearing boy in the back of the room. Rosie rolled her eyes and slammed her textbook shut.

"What was it like, Suicide Squad?" mocked Reggie. "When you shot Jason? You didn't do stuff to the body, did you? Like…after?"

Jughead stared smugly back at him. "It's called necrophilia, Reggie. Can you spell it?"

Although the comeback had amused Rosie, she was more concerned at the fact that the football player had launched himself off the couch towards Jug.

"Come here, you little…"

Jughead braced himself for whatever beating was near, but, thankfully, Archie was there to save the day. "Hey, shut the hell up, Reggie!"

Both Rosie and Veronica stood, nervous to see what would happen next.

Rosie's heart pounded against her ribcage. Anger set fire through her veins. Reggie had been almost sweet at the dance. Now he was accusing Jughead of murder? Was it just guy talk or pure idiocy? She guessed the latter.

"Boys," Ronnie warned.

Reggie took a step back from where Archie had shoved him. "What do you care, Andrews?"

"Nothing. Just leave him alone," Archie snapped, not meeting the taller teen's eyes.

"Holy crap," Reggie said, as if realizing something, "did you and Donnie Darko kill him together? Was it some sort of pervy, blood brother thing?"

Rosie grit her teeth as both Kevin and Betty stood to watch the show.

Reggie got into Archie's space, and, clearly, the ginger had heard enough. He brought his hands up and smacked Reggie backwards.

Rosie's breath caught in her throat as there was a tense pause. Then, suddenly, Reggie rammed into Archie and smashed him up against the vending machine, glass shattering immediately upon impact.

"Hey!" Jughead yelled.

The struggle was short, though, as Reggie tackled Archie to the floor, Jughead doing his best to pull Mantle off his ex-friend. Moose attempted to join in by tugging Jughead backwards off Reggie. But before anything else could be done, Reggie's fist met Archie's eye.

Archie laid there in the broken glass, wind knocked out of him, eye throbbing.

Rosie had seen enough.

As Reggie began to harass Jughead, she decided to step in. She ran over and kicked the taller boy back with the flat of her boot.

Jughead held onto her shoulders, attempting to hold her back, but she shrugged him off.

"What the _hell_ is your problem?" she screamed.

Everyone froze. Rosie was the opposite of loud. Her opinion was always loud and clear, but her voice never raised past the average speaking level. Even Jughead was a little terrified.

Reggie's eyes went wide. "What the hell is _your_ problem, Green?"

"My problem?" she retorted, laughing darkly. "My problem is you messed with my friends. That's what. Now back the hell up and get the hell out of my sight before I do something we'll both regret."

Reggie laughed deeply, doubling over in front of the shorter girl.

Rosie snarled. She was fully pissed off now. No one picked on people that she cared about.

Then, she had a nasty idea.

"Like what, short stack?" mocked Moose as he and the other football players snorted their asses off.

Rosie smirked mischievously and popped the top off her coffee cup. The drink was still burning hot. She didn't respond verbally. However, in order to prove her point, she raised her cup and splashed scorching hot coffee on the two teenage boys' chests.

The student lounge had come to a complete halt as they watched the drink slosh across the start football player's bodies. And Reggie and Moose did nothing but squeal like little girls.

They sprinted from the lounge, most likely to the boy's bathroom to cool off.

Most people were laughing, and Rosie stood there triumphantly, now holding an empty to-go coffee cup. She tossed it into the trash and immediately was by kneeling by Archie's side.

"Are you okay?" she questioned quickly.

The ginger lifted his head off the ground and nodded.

"Can you stand?"

He nodded again.

Rosie helped him to his feet, making sure he avoided the prickly shards of glass on the worn-down carpet. She held onto his arm, making sure he was steady as everyone but Kevin, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead moved on with their day. The others still stood frozen, shocked at what had just taken place.

She stared back at them. "What?"

"Did you just throw a caramel macchiato on Reggie and Moose?" asked Veronica.

Rosie sighed. "Yeah. That probably wasn't my best idea."

"I think Dilton Doiley went to get Weatherbee," Betty announced.

"Snitch," Kevin pouted.

"We need to get Archie to the nurse," Jughead said grimly.

"I can take him," Rosie offered. "I'll probably have to go to the office anyways. I think I may have mildly burned two of Riverdale High's star players."

"They're not the star players, Ro," Archie grumbled, holding his eye. "We were all witnesses and they came at you."

"But they really didn't," she argued.

"I mean, five words against two?" Veronica reasoned. "That beats the odds, doesn't it?"

Rosie shrugged. "I guess so."

"You take Archie to the nurse," Betty told her. "We'll get your bags."

"Thanks," Rosie said gratefully. "Arch, do you need help walking?"

"I can walk, but…I may need some guidance. I think my eye swelled shut," he replied.

Rosie, still holding onto one of his arms, lifted the other hand he had over his eye. She peeked under to see that his eye was slightly swollen – just enough where he couldn't fully see.

"Hold my elbow and I'll lead us there," she said gently. "Come on."

She led him out of the student lounge and into the busy hallway. Jughead caught up to them, walking next to Rosie.

"You two are the biggest idiots in the world," he stated.

"It was worth it, Jug," Archie protested. "Reggie would have creamed you."

"Sure, fine, but, Rosie, that hot coffee thing was too far," Jughead admitted.

Rosie nodded and sighed. She regretted it. "Again, like I said – probably wasn't my best idea. I let my emotions rule my decision-making."

"Not that they didn't deserve it, though," the dark-haired boy smirked.

Both Archie and Rosie laughed.

"It's true, Ro," Archie agreed.

When Jughead and Rosie delivered Archie to the nurse's office, Principal Weatherbee was there, waiting in one of the uncomfortable plastic seats just outside the door.

"Principal Weatherbee," greeted Rosie casually, attempting to lead Archie in without any trouble.

"Wait a minute, kids," he called.

All three skidded to stop. She and Jughead shared a wince. They knew what was coming.

Weatherbee didn't exactly look pleased. His arms were folded crossly, a gleam of sweat trickling down his bald head. "How did this happen?"

"It was Reggie Mantle, sir," Jughead spoke up. "He was joking about Jason Blossom's death and blamed it on me. He tried to lay a punch on me, but Archie came to my defense. He told him to stop and Reggie got physical. He slammed Archie into the vending machine in the student lounge and slugged him in the eye. Rosie came over to help Archie and Reggie tried to hit her, too, so she threw coffee on them in self-defense."

"Is this true?" Weatherbee demanded.

Rosie and Archie nodded fervently. Archie clung to arm, wobbling slightly as he stood.

"Can we get past, please, Principal Weatherbee? Archie's eye is not doing well," Rosie squeaked hurriedly.

Weatherbee moved to the side. "Of course. I'd like to speak with you afterwards, Ms. Green, Mr. Andrews. Mr. Jones, is there anyone else who can be of witness to this act?"

"Yes, sir," Rosie heard Jughead reply as she and Archie entered the nurse's office. "Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, and Kevin Keller were all there."

* * *

That night, hours before the pep rally, Rosie was upstairs in her room working on the chords for a cover of _Havana_ by Camila Cabello. She had just filmed a video of a cover of one of her favorite mainstream songs (of the very few that she listened to) called _All I Want_ by Kodaline, and was excited to upload it for her 350,000 YouTube subscribers later that week.

She heard a door slam from below and a pair of footsteps stomping up to her room.

She spun in her swivel chair to see Will standing in her doorway looking miffed.

"Uh…hi," she deadpanned. "What can I do for you?"

"Heard you assaulted Moose and Reggie today at school," he snarled, a scowl gracing his features.

Rosie scoffed, fiddling with her ukulele strings. "You were clearly misinformed, brother. Reggie came at me when I tried to help Archie."

"Don't lie to me, Rosemary," he bit back, taking a step into her room. "I know you purposely were trying to injure them. They've got a big football game coming up soon!"

"I wasn't trying to hurt anyone," she told him truthfully.

"Then why did you do it?"

Rosie, although not telling the complete truth, still defended herself. "I was trying not to get punched, Will."

"If you were going to get punched, you probably deserved it," he accused bitterly.

Rosie had been doing her best to avoid a full-blown argument with her little brother, but that was crossing the line. Deserved to get punched? Who the hell actually _deserved_ to get punched? Not her! Not anyone! Especially no one in that student lounge.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she muttered, spinning back to her laptop.

All she wanted was for him to leave. She wanted to work on the song in peace.

"What's wrong with me?" exclaimed Will. "What's wrong with _me?_ Rosie, you freaking tossed hot coffee on my friends and burned them!"

"Again, it was in self-defense," she reasoned calmly. She wasn't about to lose it on her brother. She knew the consequences of doing so. She had been slapped several times by both her parents for getting angry with Will. Self-regulation was something she had to learn early in life.

"Shut up!" yelled Will.

Rosie merely shook her head and stared at the chords, trying to ignore him. "Okay, Will. Now can you please leave? I'm working on a song."

Before she knew what was going on, Will had stomped over and snatched her ukulele from her hands.

"Hey!" cried Rosie. Panic rushed through her body, adrenaline pumping. She was afraid; afraid of what he might do to her or her precious instrument.

Without any other word, as if in slow motion, Will raised the ukulele by its neck and brought it down on the wood floor.

CRUNCH. CRACK.

In two swift strokes, the instrument was smashed into a million pieces.

"No!" screamed Rosie. "Will, what the hell?"

She knelt down next to the broken uke, hands rifling desperately through the remains. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had spent a whole summer working at a coffee shop in Portland saving up money for that instrument. It was one of her favorites to write songs with. And now…it was gone.

"Serves you right, moron," Will spat in her direction as he exited her room. "Don't mess with my friends."

The tears left Rosie's blue eyes and she broke down. Her glasses were fogged and splotchy, her nose running a marathon of snot.

She had cherished that ukulele. She had written many songs with it, one of them being Luminescence, the song that she had written before the start of school in Archie's garage.

How had it happened so quickly?

She sobbed over the uke debris for a few minutes, angry with her brother…but mostly angry with herself. Maybe Will was right. Maybe she deserved to have it broken. She did injure his friends after all.

But she knew she didn't want to stay home any longer.

She dried her tears, gathered the pieces of the ukulele in her arms, and tossed them in the trash.

She grabbed her leather jacket, small, across-body strap purse, and slid on her boots. She locked the door to her attic room and left the house.

She considered calling Archie or Betty, but figured they would be getting ready for the pep rally. They both were performing, in a way; Betty with the cheer squad and Archie with the football team.

She also considered calling Kevin, but didn't feel like telling him everything that had happened. So instead, she walked alone.

Every so often, a tear would slip from an eye, but she brusquely brushed it off her cheek. She didn't feel like weeping and walking.

Rosie's stomach rumbled as she approached the school. She only hoped the concession stand was already open and had something she could munch on.

As she walked onto the field, she realized that Josie had asked her to be there early anyways to help set up the sound system for the Pussycats. As it turned out, she was right on time. Coincidences are funny, aren't they?

Rosie sighed as Cheryl flounced up to her.

"Rosemary! Just the girl I wanted to see," she purred.

"Hi, Cheryl," she replied shortly.

"Josie needs you to help balance out her vocals against mine."

"You can sing?" Rosie responded bluntly.

"Don't be so doubtful, my summer Rose, yes, indeed I can. However, the town will not be of witness to my delightful vocals tonight. I'm rapping during the song. Didn't I tell you before?"

"You didn't. But that's fine. Where's the booth?"

"Right this way, summer Rose," sang Cheryl, gesturing to a small tent settled to the side of the makeshift stage.

The tent was just a head covering in case the weatherman on channel 7 was correct.

As Rosie and Cheryl went towards the soundboard, Ms. Grundy appeared out of nowhere. The sight of the teacher made Rosie sick to her stomach. She knew Grundy's secret. And to think that this teacher was the one that Archie had gotten all choked up over annoyed her.

"Rosie! Perfect. I'm glad you're here. I don't know if Cheryl already told you, but the marching band will also be joining in with Josie and the Pussycats' song."

Rosie, eyebrows raised, shook her head. "No, I was not informed of this."

"Well, sorry for not telling you earlier. Now you know," chuckled Ms. Grundy awkwardly. "My drum major is directing, so I'll make sure she gets in contact with you."

"Sounds spectacular," griped Rosie, doing her best not to sound sarcastic.

"Are you feeling alright, Rosie?" Cheryl wondered as all three women came to a pause at the soundboard booth.

Rosie's nose scrunched as she frowned. That was as genuine as Cheryl had ever sounded before.

"I'm fine," she lied. "Now where are Josie, Valerie, and Melody? We've got to get this soundcheck underway and make sure it's all balanced with the marching band."

"I'll grab Ethel," Geraldine muttered, speed-walking away towards the brightly colored band.

"And I'll grab the Pussycats," concluded Cheryl.

Rosie sighed, sinking into the uncomfortable wooden chair they had set in front of the table with the various soundboards.

The scene with her brother continued to play through her mind as she sat staring into space. She was ashamed of her actions earlier in the day. She was even disappointed in herself for defending Archie and Jughead like that. She shouldn't have thrown that coffee on the boys.

 _Sure, that wasn't the smartest move in the history of planet earth,_ she thought. _But what is wrong with standing up for your friends? Didn't they deserve it? They called Arch and Jug murderers and accused them of awful things. Why not take some revenge? Why not be more irrational with your actions once in a while? Why think through everything you do?_

But then a conflicting voice in her mind, which also happened to be her own, argued back.

 _True, but you kind of earned that uke destruction. I mean…what gives you the right to toss coffee on people? Not exactly helping you make friends. Then again, you kind of suck at making friends in general because you're too honest._

Maybe that was the problem with Rosie. Maybe she didn't even deserve friends…

The band was blasting from the track in front of the bleachers, which were packed with people of all ages. Rosie figured the entire town had shown up to support the high school football team. This amused her slightly, as she was used to big cities where no one cared much about such sports.

She spotted Fred Andrews in the crowd, and he waved at her once he caught her eye. She plastered on a grin and waved back.

"Rosie!" called a voice.

The Green girl watched as Kevin jogged over to her in the sound booth tent.

"Hey, Kev."

"Can I stay in here with you? I don't really feel like sitting with my dad and Weatherbee."

"Sure."

"Thanks…Are you feeling okay? Your eyes are red."

Rosie brought a hand up and rubbed her right eye. "They are?"

"Only a little," Kevin replied. "Were you crying?"

Just to Rosie's luck, a blonde appeared.

"Rosie! Kevin!" she greeted happily. She waved her pom-poms cheerfully.

"Betty," Kevin grinned. "Definitely Betty Draper season one!"

He gave her a thumbs-up.

She laughed. "Thanks, Kev."

"Are you excited for the pep rally?" Rosie asked, attempting to be enthusiastic about the event.

"As much as I can be under Cheryl's hawk vision," joked Betty. "How about you? Everything sounded great during rehearsal."

"I'm eager to get this over with," she replied quickly. She fiddled with one of the levels of the mics. Josie's was a little too high…again. She assumed the lead singer had snuck over during Rosie's bathroom break and raised the small button up the board.

A whistle was blown.

"Oh, that's Cheryl. See you both after the rally?" questioned the blonde hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll be here," nodded Rosie.

"I've got dinner with my dad," Kevin told her grumpily. "Break a leg, though!"

Betty shook her pom-poms as a goodbye before running back to the squad.

Kevin looked wistfully into the crowd. "Ugh. There are the Blossoms and Betty's parents."

Rosie followed his line of sight to a pair of ginger-haired adults sitting on the very bottom bench. They were solemn and turned their noses up at everyone else, as if they knew they were above them. She also saw Hal and Alice Cooper, who she recognized from the riverbank that early morning where Jason's remains were discovered.

Her mood fell even further into what felt like Mariana's Trench when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her own parents and brother taking their seats in the stands. They gawked over Will, even as they sat down. They all laughed together, joking about some pun Kenny must have made.

A lump popped up in Rosie's throat, threatening to bring more tears to her eyes.

"Are you kidding me? My dad is waving me back to him," Kevin complained. "Sorry, Rosie."

"It's okay, Kev," she told him, doing her very best to not cry in front of him. "It won't be super exciting over here anyways."

The Keller teen patted her shoulder, told her that he'd see her later, and left.

Rosie turned her back to the crowd, several tears slipping down her cheeks. Seeing her parents so happy with Will made everything hurt so much more.

Since moving to Riverdale, their love for will and hatred for her seemed to have grown. They didn't care much about her, only that she adhered to their rules. They talked down to her, almost as if she was in kindergarten, while Will was held to a standard of a college senior.

The incident from earlier in the day still replayed in her mind.

Wasn't this supposed to be a refresh? Wasn't she supposed to make her life…better?

Little did she know, Archie was quickly making his way over to her to tell her the good news. She didn't notice, as she was still turned away towards the back of the field.

"Rosie," he said.

She sniffled loudly; loudly enough for the ginger to notice something was very, very wrong.

The girl hastily rubbed the tears away, trying to compose herself.

She spun on her heel to greet him. Despite her rotten mood, she was glad to see that his eye wasn't swollen any more, but simply black and blue.

Archie immediately knew that something had happened.

"Rosie, what's wrong?" he asked immediately.

She shook her head, still wiping away the water that wouldn't stop streaming from her eyes. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong, Archie."

"Rosie," he said, voice low. He stepped under the tent. "What happened? Was it Veronica again?"

She shook her head, finally clearing her eyes of any tears. "No. No, it wasn't Veronica."

"Who was it?" he demanded softly.

She sighed. Archie was familiar with her bad relationship with her brother. "Will."

Archie grit his teeth, shoving his helmet under his arm. His eyebrows drew together to form a frown. "What did he say?"

Rosie refused. "Archie, we can talk about it later. You're supposed to be happy for the football game coming up. School spirit and all, remember?"

"I'm not leaving this sound booth until you tell me what the hell he did," he told her firmly.

She sighed, grateful to have such an amazing friend. A friend she didn't deserve.

She crossed her arms, not looking him in the face. She spoke slowly. "Will…smashed my ukulele."

There was a pause. Rosie didn't see the shocked, yet disgusted look on the Andrews boy's face.

"He what?" he deadpanned.

"I said it," Rosie grumped.

"That doesn't make it okay, Ro," declared Archie. "You spent a whole summer working to get money for that ukulele! He can't do that to anyone – especially you! You're his sister. He should know better than anyone that your instruments are an important part of your life."

"That's why he did it, Archie," she responded. "But maybe I deserved it…"

Archie scoffed. "Deserved it? What the hell made you think that?"

Rosie shrugged. "Will? He did it because I threw coffee on Moose and Reggie."

"Rosie, you did it to protect me and Jug! We can't thank you enough for what you did. Your brother has no say in that situation because he wasn't a part of it," argued Archie angrily. "If you ever think that you deserved to get your ukulele broken again, then tell me and I'll talk you out of it."

Rosie was so taken aback that all she could do was nod.

"I did want to tell you that I decided to tell Sheriff Keller and Principal Weatherbee that I was at Sweetwater River on July 4th."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You and Jughead are right. I can't stay quiet anymore. It's wrong."

"I'm really glad, Archie," she smiled genuinely. "I'm proud of you."

Archie smiled back, chuckling slightly. "Hey, Jughead and I were planning on heading to Pop's after the rally. We want you to come with us."

Rosie laughed. "You do?"

"Well, yeah," replied Archie, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're one of my best friends, Rosie."

Rosie's heart stopped beating, her breathing coming to a complete halt for a single second.

"We've known each other for barely two weeks," she squeaked, voice tight.

"So?" shrugged Archie. "Who cares about time?"

Coach Clayton began yelling down the field.

"That's me," said the ginger. "Find Jug after! My dad is taking us!"

Rosie didn't even have time to respond before Archie ran back to the blue and yellow colored, football jersey-clad boys he called his team. Her heart swelled. Best friend. That adjective had never been used to describe her before. And it felt wonderful.

* * *

It made sense to the brunette musician when Cheryl bolted from the stage. She was overwhelmed by the loss of her brother at an event where his name was used so frequently, as well as a place where he used to be praised up and down the bleachers.

But after the game, when even she was still drying from the pouring rain, she was surprised to see her family completely dry. What was going on with them? Had they not watched the whole rally?

She rode to Pop's in the bed of Fred Andrews' pickup truck with Jughead. Archie and Fred rode in the carriage. There wasn't room for the four of them on the single bench.

She and the boys entered Pop's expecting to sit alone, but instead, they saw Betty and Veronica already seated with milkshakes in front of them.

Betty turned and grinned. "Do you guys want to join us?"

Rosie shared a smile with Jughead and Archie.

"Yes," Jughead replied cheekily, "but only if you're treating."

The blonde and raven-haired girls laughed. The two slid down their benches, making room for the three to sit comfortably.

"Veronica Lodge," she introduced herself.

"Jughead Jones, the third," he replied, hopping over the side of the booth to sit next to the other new girl.

"Jughead Jones…the third?" Veronica giggled, as if in disbelief.

"So, you're the third unfortunate who has been burdened with such a name," joked Rosie as she plopped down next to Archie, who had settled next to the blonde.

For some reason, they all found that funnier than it necessarily was. Archie threw his arms over the back of the seat, forming a barrier between Rosie and Betty against the other booths.

"Burdened?" Jughead proclaimed sarcastically. "I'm offended, Rosie."

Pop walked up, smiling widely to see his favorite customers all together. "What can I get you crazy kids?"

"I'll take a strawberry milkshake, Pop," Archie requested.

"Can I get fries and a mint milkshake?" Rosie told him. "Thanks, Pop."

"Usual, Jughead?"

"You know me too well, Pop."

"That'll be out in a jiffy," he replied merrily.

"Mint?" asked Betty suspiciously.

"Don't knock till you try, Betty," Rosie replied quickly. "At least my milkshakes aren't bland."

"Ooh!" Archie, Jughead, and Veronica laughed.

Betty mocked offense. "Vanilla is classic."

"Classicly boring."

"What kind of milkshake is mint?"

"Unique, that's what."

And in that moment, the world was right. Rosie had found her best friends in the universe. She realized that even if her parents and brother didn't care about her, her friends did. Maybe they were the family Rosie had always desired. The family that she needed.

But little did all five of the teens know, their worlds were going to get darker. Darkness quickly descended the next day. But that night? Their happiness kept the darkness at bay.

* * *

 **We are finally through with episode 2! I can't wait to write onto episode 3. Did that seem to take forever for you guys, or was it just me?**

 **But here we are with another update! Quick, right? I'm hoping that I'll be on a roll and finish up episode 4 before I go back to school for spring quarter.**

 **Now, onto review responses:**

silentmayhem: I've already responded to your PM, but I have to say that I appreciate you so much. Thank you for your genius insight on Rosie and her role in Riverdale as a whole. I hope you're a writer, too, because you think like one. It's incredible how much you've been spot on in everything you've written. I can't thank you enough for being such an incredible reviewer and reader of this fic. I love you. 3

BehindBlueEyes7: Ahhhhh thank you! I love it when I'm able to get people addicted haha! 😊

 **Hopefully I'll talk to you all soon! I'm already working on later chapters! Thank you so much to everyone reviewing, favoriting, and following. I love you all.**


	8. Hurting

Chapter 8: Hurting

* * *

 _Help me_

 _It feels like the walls are caving in_

 _Sometimes I feel like giving up_

 _No medicine is strong enough_

 _Someone help me_

In My Blood by Shawn Mendes

* * *

"That I'm guilty."

The haunting words of Cheryl Blossom echoed through Riverdale High School like a shout into a deep, dark cave.

As the resident female redhead stood with her arms out, waiting to be shackled, the reality of the heaviness surrounding the demise of her twin brother hit Rosie like a bag of rocks to the chest. Had Cheryl killed Jason? Was that why she was guilty? Or was she guilty of not telling the whole truth?

She was witness to when the Blossom parents led their only child out of the school, hands clamped down on either arm. It was like a sheep being led to slaughter.

She and Archie stood together, watching in awe as Penelope and Clifford dragged Cheryl through the double doors and away to their horror movie mansion, Thorn Hill. Chatter exploded in the halls, rumors already swirling like poison. Accusations of her committing this terrible act were frontrunners in a race that the students of Riverdale had created in order for them to attempt to discover the truth.

Archie and Rosie sighed as they parted ways to their next classes, the rooms on either side of the school. They didn't want to hear the sodden whispers of desperate freshmen trying to make it with the "popular crowd" or to seem cool.

One of those freshmen happened to be Rosie's brother, William Green. She merely shook her head in disbelief as she passed by him and his new posse. He was spinning some elaborate fabrication about how he had comforted Cheryl before Biology, already knowing the truth – that she hadn't killed him, but helped him escape some crazy tirade the Blossoms had started about Jason and Polly.

Rosie rolled her eyes at her sibling, wondering how the mindless zombies he hung out with believed anything that rolled off his tongue. He could have announced how the moon was made of cotton candy and the goons would have agreed willingly.

The Green girl's mind weighed heavily on Cheryl and her admittance to guilt, as well as what Archie knew through the rest of school day. During Cheryl's interrogation, had she admitted to shooting Jason? To hearing someone fire a gun close by?

She only hoped that whatever Archie had heard at Sweetwater River wouldn't make him a suspect, too.

However, as she learned in a conversation with the gang the next morning, the town itself was one big suspect.

"You found Jason at the riverbank, Kevin," Archie said in the student lounge as they all sat around together before class. "So, are you a suspect now?"

"My dad says we all are, including me," he replied.

"Not me, girl," Veronica responded quickly. "I don't know these people."

Rosie sat across from Kevin and Betty on a separate couch. She shook her head. "I guess I'm not, either. I mean, I wasn't even in town until two weeks ago."

A smile crept onto Kevin's face. "Guys, should we maybe re-binge _Making a Murderer_ on Netflix tonight?"

"Sorry. Can't. Got to stay late to work on the paper," Betty chuckled.

"Since when does Riverdale High have a newspaper?" asked Rosie, sipping on a coffee.

"It's been in hibernation for a few years, but I was hoping to revive it," the blonde explained. Her face lit up. "Hey, you should join, Ro!"

Rosie's eyebrows shot up. "Me? I'm not the greatest writer."

"But you're a good songwriter," Archie chimed in. "That has to help, right?"

The rest of them nodded in agreement.

The brunette sighed. "I'm sorry, Betty, but I would make a terrible reporter."

"You don't have to write. Would you be interested in being the resident photographer?" suggested Betty.

Rosie smiled slightly, thinking about her offer. She always had loved photography and it would be a great way to keep her out of her own house – away from her brother and parents. And she spent a lot of time in Archie's garage writing songs. Maybe this was a way for her to be more involved in school so that she could get into a college with a good music program…?

"Okay, fine," she gave in. "But I'm not writing a word."

Betty squealed a little. "Yay! I'm so excited to start."

"I'm sorry, Kev," Rosie apologized. "I guess you'll have to count me out."

"Count me out, too. I've got a date tonight," Veronica commented.

"You do?" wondered Archie.

"Which Riverdale hottie made the cut?" Kevin wondered.

Veronica looked playfully off behind Archie's head. Rosie turned to glance in that general direction to see another jock standing with Moose and Reggie. Her eyebrows raised. Who the heck was that?

"Hey, V-Lo," said the boy, "I'll swing by the Pembrooke to pick you up at eight?"

"I'll be waiting," she smiled.

"Cool," he replied. And with the two behind him smirking, they strode out like a pack of wolves after catching their prey.

"Chuck Clayton?" Betty questioned doubtfully.

Kevin, however, for some reason that was unknown to Rosie, was almost giddy with excitement. "You're going on a date with Chuck?"

"He's kind of a player," the blonde warned.

"Who cares? He's the hottest of hot!" exclaimed Kevin.

Rosie recognized his last name. "Is he the football coach's son?"

"Yeah, he's on the team with me," Archie nodded.

"What's so special about that?" asked Rosie. "I mean…he's just a football player."

"No, no, no, Rosie," the Keller boy waved her off. "You don't understand. In Riverdale, that's like dating a Kennedy."

"Really?" the brunette deadpanned. "Maybe it's my lack of small-town knowledge and social norms, but…he's the football coach's son. So? How is that any different than if I started dating Reggie? He plays football."

"Why would you date Reggie?" Archie rapidly jumped in, confused.

"I'm not saying I would," Rosie replied quickly. "But theoretically – would it be any different?"

"Uh yeah," Kevin said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Think about it like this: Chuck in Riverdale is the equivalent of Chris Hemsworth in Hollywood – talented and extremely hot. Now, Reggie is like Scott Eastwood – although they have the same job, one is more sought after because of his name and what he's done. Scott Eastwood may be an attractive man, but he can't act worth a crap."

Rosie somewhat understood, although the analogy didn't connect well with her. "I get it. Although, I have to say Chris Hemsworth is not my type."

At this, Archie and Veronica laughed.

Kevin looked offended. "Not your type? Chris Hemsworth is everyone's type!"

"Can we get back to the point?" Betty chuckled.

"The point is that dating Chuck Clayton will put Veronica on top of the social food chain here at Riverdale High," Kevin concluded.

"Why didn't you just say that earlier?" laughed Rosie.

Everyone else giggled.

"I was trying to be more interesting with my explanation," Kevin said, exasperated.

The warning bell rang, indicating that class would begin very soon.

"Rosie, meet me in room 220 today at lunch! We'll get started on waking the paper," Betty told her.

"Sounds great!"

* * *

Rosie walked into room 220, expecting to see computers lit up and ready to go, lights that worked, and keyboards that didn't date back to 1985. But what she found was the complete opposite – including Betty uncovering equipment and rifling through cupboards.

The brunette chuckled slightly as she slung her messenger bag off her shoulder and onto a spare desk.

"So, this is the _Blue & Gold? _Kind of dark and dismal for a school newspaper."

Betty's head snapped up from the desk drawer she was clawing at. She smiled. "Hey, Rosie. Sure, it's not exactly what I was expecting either, but we'll make it work."

"But there's only two of us," said Rosie. "How are we going to run a newspaper with one reporter and one photographer?"

"Three of us. There are three of us," corrected Betty, circling around the desk.

Rosie's eyebrows scrunched together, nose wrinkling slightly. "Who else did you pull in?"

A voice sounded from the doorframe, announcing himself.

"If print journalism is dead, what am I doing here?"

The Green girl spun on her heel to see Jughead leaning on the entrance to the classroom.

"Hi, Rosie," he grinned.

"Hi, Jughead," she grinned back.

"The _Blue & Gold _isn't dead, Juggy. It's just…dormant," argued Betty cheerfully, wiping dust off an old typewriter. "But waking up."

Rosie moved an elderly computer out of the way, jumping up to sit on the empty space on the desk. She swung her legs back and forth, listening to Betty's pitch for Jughead to join the paper.

"You're writing a novel, right? About Jason Blossom's murder?"

"I am," confirmed the boy, holding up a magnifying glass. "Riverdale's very own _In Cold Blood."_

"Terrifying novel," Rosie chimed in. "But a masterpiece that told the story of how a small, rural town was torn apart by a family mysteriously murdered? That's Riverdale right now."

"Exactly," said Jughead, pointing at her approvingly.

"Which started out as a series of articles. I'm hoping you'll come write for the _Blue & Gold. _Rosie here has already agreed to be our resident photographer. And, hopefully, provide us with a way to record our interviews with certain eye-witnesses and interviewees."

"I just don't think the school paper's a good fit for my voice."

"Look, Juggy…Jason's death changed Riverdale," Betty told him slowly, walking forward and leaning on the desk next to Rosie. "People don't want to admit that, but it's true. We all feel it. Nothing this bad was ever supposed to happen here, but it did. I want to know why."

"I want to know why, too," Rosie agreed. "I've never been in a place like this before. In such a small town where everyone knows everyone, there has to be something deeper going on. Secrets that no one uncovers unless they peel back a layer and dig. I want to be part of the discovery of those secrets – unearth the raw truth about Jason and his death and how it effects people through photography. But I can't do that unless there is someone else helping me. I can't write like you can."

Rosie could tell that her little speech had gotten through to Jughead.

His eyes flickered between the two hopefuls.

"Would I get complete freedom?" he wondered doubtfully.

"I'll help, and edit…and suggest, but it's your story. It's your voice," Betty replied.

Jughead's eyes narrowed slightly at the blonde, shaking his head in suspicion. "Doesn't sound like complete freedom, but…I'm in."

Rosie smiled. It was nice to have someone else on the team, even if she hadn't willingly joined in the first place.

"Okay, great!" cheered Betty. "Um, in that case, I have your first assignment."

"Already?" Rosie chuckled.

"I want us to get a head start, Ro," the blonde defended. She turned back to address Jug. "There's one person who was at the river on July 4th that no one is talking about."

"Dilton Doiley and his scouts," Jughead responded quickly. It was clear that they were on the same page.

"Exactly," agreed Betty.

Jughead smiled slightly, thumbed his nose, and quickly left the room.

Rosie was satisfied with the crew that Betty had assembled, even if it was only three of them. She launched herself off the desk, landing gracefully on converse-clad feet.

"What do you want me to do, chief?" she asked.

Betty's response was immediate. "I want to do a welcome-back edition, so some shots of everyday student life and the school would be fantastic."

"Great. I've got a really nice camera I use for filming YouTube videos, so that works perfectly."

"Awesome!" Betty squealed. "Oh, I just can't wait to get this paper out."

"It's going to be great, Betty," Rosie told her.

The two girls worked through lunchtime to get the room up and running for the _Blue & Gold, _enjoying each other's company, as well as sharing eagerness for discovering more about the mystery behind the murder of Jason Blossom.

* * *

Rosie walked towards home in the dark. She wasn't worried about the possibility of Jason Blossom's murderer being anywhere near. She knew if she screamed, then someone in one of the houses near her would come to her rescue. It was Riverdale – most of the citizens in town were decent people who cared about others' well-being.

With every step, Rosie thought of the day that was behind her. She was happy to join the _Blue & Gold, _especially if she wasn't writing. Her dyslexia made it difficult for her to write anything more than a song. Although lyrics flowed from her mind like a river, technical writing dammed up her brain. It was like the neurons were blocked by little working beavers building a home in the receptors. Letters flipped in her mind, reading backwards and upside down –which were practically impossible for her to decipher at one glance, or even two.

She thought back to the conversation they all had in the student lounge. Veronica was free to do whatever she wanted, but Rosie worried about her. Chuck hung around Moose and Reggie a lot, as well as the other guys on the football team, most of whom were complete meatheads; not to mention her all-too-perfect brother.

Archie, thank goodness, was not a meathead.

They hadn't spoken much that day. He had asked her during Bio if she was free to work on music, but she knew she had to take pictures for the newly revived school paper that Betty was so passionate about. She also had homework she had to complete, which she was not looking forward to.

Speaking of Archie, Rosie glanced at his house as she walked by. She smiled at it and started to continue on when she heard a hiss from above.

"Pssst! Rosie!"

 _What the hell is that?_ She thought, baffled.

She turned her gaze upwards to see Archie's red head hanging out of his window.

"Rosie!" he whispered.

"Why are you being so quiet?" she asked, equally as soft in volume.

"I'm grounded," he explained. "I need to talk to someone. You got time?"

Rosie took out her phone to check the time. "Yeah, I do. But…if you're grounded, your dad probably won't let me in."

"There's a tree to your right that I use to sneak in and out all the time," he told her, pointing to the large birch tree. "Can you climb?"

Rosie grimaced, but shrugged. "I haven't climbed a tree since I was ten. But I'll try."

She walked to the side of the house and tightened the strap on her bag. She didn't want it tumbling down and alerting Fred that she was secretly visiting his son.

The brunette studied the branches for a moment, mentally mapping a way through the tree. When she was satisfied with her chosen path, she stepped up on a lower branch, then boosted herself up on the next one. She easily found a way up, but was nervous about walking across the tree limb onto the roof.

"I'm right here to help you across," Archie told her from his window.

She nodded, trying to focus on not falling to her doom in the Andrews' front lawn.

She carefully braced herself against the trunk, then held out her arms for balance as she quickly jetted across the long, wide branch that ended at the roof.

Her heart thumped so loudly, she was sure Archie could hear it from inside his room.

The ginger extended his hand out, torso sticking almost completely out of his bedroom window. Rosie put her weight on the foot that was resting on the roof, then quickly grasped Archie's hand for support. She tried walking on the roof, but Archie basically pulled her into his room. It was so unexpected, Rosie toppled through the opening, falling flat on her face. The thump was so loud, that Archie broke into a panic.

"My dad probably heard that!" he whispered fervently.

Rosie tried to get up herself, but Archie tugged her to her feet and shoved her towards his closet.

"Are you kidding me?" she murmured, annoyed.

"I'm grounded, Ro. He can't know you're in here or we'll both get in trouble."

She opened the door and stepped in, closing it as quietly as possible. Unfortunately, there was a loud creaking.

Rosie stood in the dark, hardly daring to breathe. Her ears strained to listen to what was happening outside.

She sniffed deeply, inhaling a scent of sweat, as well as a faint hint of Old Spice deodorant. She grimaced, looking to her left. In a blue mesh basket was Archie's football gear. No wonder it smelled slightly foul in there.

She froze as she heard the bedroom door open.

"You okay up here, son?" came Fred's voice, full of concern.

"Yeah, sorry, Dad," said Archie apologetically. "I dropped my guitar case when I was trying to put it away."

"You're fine. I'll be downstairs doing some paperwork."

And with that, the door shut with a click. There was a long pause before Archie let Rosie out.

"Sorry," he told her quietly. "Had to let my dad get down the stairs first."

Rosie understood. "You're good, Arch." She sat down on the floor, leaning up against his bed. "What's up?"

Archie sat next to her, sighing in turn as he seemingly sank into the carpet.

Sensing he was frustrated, Rosie spoke up. "What's going on, Arch?"

He was quiet for a moment, staring off into space. Then, his eyes met hers. "I hate this, Rosie."

"What do you hate?" she asked quickly.

"I hate _this,"_ he replied, gesturing to his room. "Being trapped up here. I hate that I had to talk to Sheriff Keller and Principal Weatherbee today. I don't think they believed me."

Rosie shrugged. She told him the truth. "They might not have. They might not have believed you at all. I mean, think about it. A good kid from a good family coming forward to confess that he was there the day Jason was murdered? It's a little sketchy to be honest, Arch."

The redhead nodded, agreeing. "That's true. But Jason wasn't murdered on July 4th."

Rosie's breath caught in her throat. "What are you talking about?"

"Sheriff Keller told me that Jason's autopsy said he died like a week later."

Her eyebrows shot up. "A week later? Then he couldn't have been shot that day."

Archie seemed confused at first, then ran over the scenario in his head. "You're right. A shot in the forehead would kill you almost instantly. And from what I heard, he wasn't shot anywhere else."

"If Cheryl also confessed to hearing a gunshot – ,"

"I think she did. I'm not sure."

"Then they know that Jason didn't die that day."

"I just – I just hate lying about being there with Vegas," Archie groaned. "I was there with Grundy."

"Did you tell her about your confession yet?" Rosie wondered gently.

"I'm doing it tomorrow. I'm also thinking about ending things with her tomorrow."

The brunette was caught off guard. "You are?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah. You're right, Rosie. It's too dangerous for us to be together. I care about her…a lot. But if anyone besides you and Jughead finds out about us, we're done for."

Rosie was overjoyed to hear this.

"I think that's really mature of you, Arch," she told him.

"You do?"

"Of course. Now, there's something else bothering you, isn't there?"

Archie glanced at her, eyes narrowed. "How did you know?"

"I'm good at reading people," she giggled. "Also, I could feel the tension between you and your dad all the way in the closet. Did you have a fight?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It was about music."

"Is he not supportive?"

"Not really. I mean, he's fine with me writing songs and stuff, but he doesn't think it will get me anywhere. He'll come to my football games, but if it was a performance, he wouldn't care."

Rosie had a flashback of her mother commanding she remove all her recording equipment from her room from the few weeks before. She sighed shakily and hugged her knees, resting her head on arms.

"I understand that."

Archie immediately sympathized deeply with Rosie. He had seen first-hand how awful her brother was to her, and was especially apprehensive after he had heard what happened with her ukulele. He realized that she didn't talk much about herself and her own struggles.

"Rosie," he said softly.

Her eyes met his, although her head didn't move.

"How bad is it at home?"

To his surprise, she scoffed.

"My home life isn't what we're talking about here, Arch."

"I want to talk about it with you. If that's okay," he insisted. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but the way your brother treats you isn't right."

Rosie's heart leapt into her throat. She shook her head, holding back tears as she thought of the way her family treated her. But wasn't it out of love that they did so?

She readjusted and turned her body to face Archie. She folded her legs under and put her hands in her lap. She exhaled loudly. Her body shook slightly. She had never confessed anything to anyone about her family. Archie was the first to hear of such things…ever.

Archie sat waiting patiently.

"My family…" she began. "My family has never treated me equally to Will."

The ginger shook his head in disbelief. He hated them already, but this? This made him hate them even more.

"My dad makes good money. He's a contractor. He's making more money with your dad than he ever has before. And that's great. It's spectacular, but…I'm not the kid my parents believe in. At least, not outwardly. They've never said it to my face. They've never even said they loved me. I mean, I'm sure they have, but I don't remember any time where they did."

Her body shook slightly as tears began to leak out her eyes.

Archie was heartbroken. He couldn't imagine what she had gone through as a child. He reached out and took one of her hands in his own.

She sputtered slightly, smiling at him for a second, but not before opening up even more about her parents and brother.

"Their support of Will has grown exponentially over the past few years since he's gotten more into basketball. They used to be somewhat interested in my music, but they've never financially invested in me at all. They buy Will new stuff all the time. Yesterday, I got home, and my mom had a bunch of Adidas apparel sitting on the kitchen table for him. It's little stuff like that. And Will has some anger issues. Hell, my mom and dad have anger issues. And I know that they haven't been there for me, but I'm sure they say all that mean stuff out of love. I'm sure their intentions are good."

Archie knew that this was an outright lie, which surprised him, because Rosie was so honest with everyone, and as he knew, with herself. But apparently, when it came to her family, she wasn't honest with herself about their behavior. But he wasn't about to call her out when she was so emotional about it all.

Instead, he moved closer and put his arms around her.

Rosie felt safe in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed. Never in her whole life, had somebody done this for her; just let her cry about something while they sat and listened.

Archie hugged her tightly, not wanting to let her go home. But was it even a home for Rosie? He doubted it. Home wasn't a place where you lived in fear of your belongings being destroyed or in a place where your own family didn't ever tell you they loved you.

They sat that way for ten minutes.

Then, Rosie untangled herself from Archie, although one of his arms stayed draped around her shoulders. She sniffed, unclogging her nose, then wiped her glasses on her gray Ramones t-shirt.

"What can I do?" he inquired gently.

"What do you mean?" Rosie wondered as she brushed stray tears from her face.

"How can I help you feel better?"

A smile played around her lips. "Doing exactly what you're doing now – being my friend."

Archie couldn't help but notice how blue her eyes were. The whites were all red and bloodshot, but something about that made her eyes stand out like sparklers on a dark night.

He snapped himself out of a strange, unexpected trance and nodded in response.

Rosie checked her phone again. She sighed. "I need to get home."

She stood as Archie's arm slipped away. She wished it was still there.

"I'll walk you home," he told her.

"You're not getting in trouble for me, Archie," she told him firmly. "You're staying here like your dad wants."

"But _I_ want to walk you home," he retorted. "And my dad won't even notice. It'll be like twenty minutes. He won't notice I'm gone for twenty minutes, Ro."

She crossed her arms and shook her head at his stubborn nature. "You are too determined. Fine."

She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't want to be alone that evening. And Archie didn't want her to be alone, either.

* * *

Rosie got up in the morning with a migraine. She threw on a black t-shirt with a small drawing of a dinosaur on the corner, a dark green, plaid flannel, jeans, and her favorite pearl white Doc Martens. It was comfy clothing for a day where she didn't feel comfortable in her body.

The night before had been extremely emotionally draining. Half of her kicked herself for confessing all the negative feelings she had been bottling up about her family to Archie. But the other half was relieved. She had never told anyone about how her family affected her before. She trusted Archie with the information wholeheartedly. She knew that if he told anyone, it would be his dad. But Rosie didn't mind that. She respected Fred Andrews, even if he had a hard time understanding how important music was to Archie.

She grabbed a large coffee on her way to school. She'd only had a few migraines in her lifetime, but caffeine had always made her feel better.

When she arrived at school, she saw Betty and Kevin standing by her locker.

"Hey, Rosie," Kevin greeted.

"Hey," Rosie replied, voice somewhat low. She squinted as she looked up at him. The fluorescent lights in the hallway pained her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Betty wondered.

"Migraine," the brunette replied. "But I got the pictures you wanted for the _Blue & Gold _last night."

"Thanks," said Betty. "We can download them onto the main computer at lunch. I've already gotten a few articles written."

"Already?" mused Rosie as she opened her locker and put things away.

"What can I say? I'm a fast writer."

"Ooh, there's Veronica!" gushed Kevin quickly.

He scurried over to the Lodge girl. Betty and Rosie followed.

"So, how'd it go with Chuck?" he pressed.

Veronica chuckled. "Chuck has muscles for days, but his conversation is not the stuff of Oscar Wilde, or even Diablo Cody."

"You value quality over quantity then?" joked Rosie.

Veronica was about to answer with another quip about muscles, but another voice stopped her. It was one of Cheryl's she-goblins that worshipped the very ground she walked on.

"Hey, Veronica. How was the Sticky Maple you had last night?"

"The what now?"

"The Sticky Maple Chuck gave you?" the other girl mocked. "How was it?"

Rosie frowned.

Veronica was as equally puzzled. "We had a brownie sundae, if that's what you hyenas mean."

Betty and Kevin shared a weary glance, but not before several phones dinged.

"Why do you two look so nervous all of a sudden?" Rosie asked, worried at what a 'Sticky Maple' could mean for Veronica.

Kevin shook his head, pulled out his phone, and opened the notification. "Oh, my god."

"What?"

Veronica snatched his phone out of his hand and stared down at the Instagram post.

Rosie looked over her shoulder.

The picture was a selfie of Veronica and Chuck, but over Veronica's face was a strange watermark that looked like a trail of maple syrup had spilled on the phone.

"What the hell is a Sticky Maple?" she demanded.

"It's kind of what it sounds like. It's a Riverdale thing," Kevin explained.

"No, Kevin, it's a slut-shaming thing," Veronica refused angrily. "And I'm neither a slut, nor am I going to be shamed by someone named, excuse me, Chuck Clayton."

"What the hell is the point of it?" Rosie wondered.

"It's just a thing a few guys on the football team do," Kevin told the two new girls. "I'm not saying it's right, but it happens."

"Does he really think he can get away with this? Does he not know who I am? I will cut the brakes on his souped-up phallic symbol," the Lodge girl threatened.

"Or we can go to Principal Weatherbee," Betty cut in.

"Given what I've seen of that man, I don't think he would do much about this situation," Rosie told the three honestly. "Think about Chuck's status. If he's really like a Kennedy, he's basically untouchable by Weatherbee."

"Exactly," Veronica agreed firmly. "He's the resident golden boy of the school. Weatherbee won't do crap about this."

"Or I can expose him in the pages of the _Blue & Gold. _Yeah, Rosie and I can do that!" Betty suggested desperately.

Rosie shook her head. She knew that exposing him wasn't going to be enough for Veronica. And it wasn't the justice that she deserved.

"No," Veronica refused. "Spoken like a true good girl who always follows the rules."

She slammed Kevin's phone back into his hands, storming off down the hallway. Kevin's back flew against the lockers, his face showing the clear shock it gave him. Rosie's eyes went wide. She shared a glance of disbelief with the Keller boy. Veronica was a true woman warrior who wouldn't let some meathead, moronic jock like Chuck Clayton get in her way. It was admirable, but decidedly a tad terrifying.

Rosie rushed after Veronica with Betty.

"Well, I don't follow rules," Veronica continued fiercely, "I make them. And, when necessary, I break them. You want to help me get revenge on Chuck? Awesome. But here's the deal girls – you two better be willing to go full dark, no stars. What do you say, Betty? In or out?"

Betty's face went blank. "Why didn't you ask Rosie that?"

Rosie opened her mouth to respond but realized that she didn't have an answer. Veronica replied for her.

"Rosie doesn't care about the rules. I assumed she was already in."

Rosie cocked an eyebrow, puzzled, as they strode on towards wherever Veronica led.

"How do I not care about the rules?" she wondered.

"Girl, you threw a caramel macchiato on Moose and Reggie for justice. You'd gladly break some necks to get revenge on a sexist jerk," she told them.

Betty nodded.

Rosie thought for a second. "Yeah, you're completely right."

Then she saw exactly where Veronica was headed.

"The boy's locker room?" exclaimed Betty. "Veronica, what – "

But the Lodge girl had already shoved the door aside and strut in, grabbing Betty's arm in the process.

 _This is going to be interesting,_ thought Rosie, inhaling sharply as she went in after them.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! I'm so sorry it's been several months since my last update! I've been SO busy with work and finishing up school and all that fun stuff.**

 **I'm so excited to see how much people are enjoying** Ends of the Earth **! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.** **Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. I think my favorite part to write was Archie and Rosie's heart to heart. I loved being able to write Rosie opening up to someone about her family. I hope you'll all stick around to read what happens in chapter 9!**

 **Here are some review responses:**

Guest: Thank you so much! I'm excited to have you read more into when Rosie and Archie really begin to like each other. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! 😊

GamerGirl2211: Oh my gosh thank you for those words of high praise! I am honored! I can't wait for you to read more and I really hope you liked this installment! 3

guest: Thank you so much!

Guest: Thank you! Enjoy this chapter!

4Eva Knight: Thanks for all your reviews! I hope you liked this chapter, too. 😊

laxtjedi: Haha I'm so glad you loved the history! Thanks for your review!

Djone246: Hope you enjoyed this update! Thank you so much! 😊

EllieDragon: Wow! Thank you so freaking much! I can tell you that Jug and Rosie do grow to be closer friends for sure in these next few chapters. Yeah, Will and the parents are literally the worst. I hope you enjoyed the Rosie and Archie scenes! 3

 **I will do my best to post another chapter soon! I start my very few months of college soon, so I'll do my best to keep up with updates, but I may not be able to update again for a couple months. Until I do update, thank you all so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I am seriously blown away by the love this fic is getting. 3**


	9. Voices Are Heard

Chapter 9: Voices Are Heard

* * *

 _Laughing all it off like it was innocent_

 _Oh, but all I ever wanted was to get rid of it and let it out_

 _Get it out_

 _But if you could fight, if you could choose_

 _If you could say all the things you wanted to_

 _If you couldn't lie_

 _If you would only move like you had something to lose_

Split Stones by Maggie Rogers

* * *

Half-naked boys.

Rosie had no idea when she was walking into school that morning that she would be parading into a male locker room filled with half-naked boys.

Rosie was not wholly comfortable with all the boys sauntering around in towels that dipped suspiciously low in the front region. However, she knew that she was here because of sexist douchebag Chuck Clayton and his clown sidekicks that decided that their harassment of girls was any bit respectful or welcomed.

Veronica was, undoubtedly, in charge of this small train of females barging through the foul-smelling space. She shoved boys aside like they were off-brand Gucci.

"Move, move," she ordered.

Just behind her, being pulled along basically against her will (and very uncomfortably), was Betty. She shielded her eyes from the fully nude and half-dressed football players around them.

And, as the caboose, Rosie. She was unsure of how this scenario would end up playing out. She felt as if this was not exactly the best method of confrontation but was already in neck deep. She had been thrown the deep end and had to figure out how to swim. Thankfully, she seemed to be keeping afloat. That is, until Archie appeared.

Veronica walked right into the walking pile of muscle, stumbling back in shock as the redhead's towel began to cascade downwards.

Rosie's eyes flickered up to the ceiling, cheeks surely pink. To deny that Archie was visually appealing was a complete and utter lie, no matter who you were. It was particularly difficult to think of Archie in this way because of their shared moments from the night before when she admitted things to him that had never been admitted before about her family.

Betty covered her eyes and looked back at her friend in surprise.

Veronica's face became steel once more.

"Veronica, Betty, Rosie…what are you guys doing in here?" he questioned, voice unstable as he held the cloth up to protect himself.

"Don't worry about it," the Lodge girl told him firmly.

But Archie was worried. He stepped in front of the three girls.

"But, Veronica," he began, looking for an answer.

"I mean it, Andrews. Hit the showers and stay out of my way!"

Veronica pushed him aside like he was garbage, charging forward like a brave knight.

Betty's free hand remained near her eyes, guarding them from unseemly awkward sights.

Rosie attempted to go on, but a hand attached itself to her arm. It was a gentle gesture. She looked beside her. It was Archie again.

"What the hell is going on?" he wondered, obviously bewildered by their surprise visit to the boy's locker room.

Rosie focused her gaze on his face, not letting it wander further down than that.

"Chuck posted a picture of her on Instagram and photo shopped something on her face called a 'Sticky Maple…?' The symbolism isn't exactly being digested well – by any of us, really," she explained.

Archie groaned and shook his head. "That stupid maple syrup picture thing? Yeah, that's been going on ever since Chuck started on the football team."

Rosie shook her head. "And his father has done nothing? His teammates haven't called him out?"

"There's a group of them who do it," Archie told her quickly. "Some of us have tried to stop it, but there's nothing we can do. Talks to dad and the next thing you know, someone's gone. Kicked off the team."

"Has it happened to any other girls?" Rosie wondered.

Archie shrugged. "Definitely. I don't know about anyone specific, though."

Rosie sighed. Figured. Chuck probably had scared half the team into not telling anyone. His dad was the coach. He could tell his father endless lies about the other guys and his father would probably believe him.

She began to walk towards Veronica and Betty, but Archie stopped her once again.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked softly, scanning her face for an expression.

Rosie glanced at the heated discussion between Chuck and Veronica. "Can we talk about this later? You know, when we're not in the boy's locker room and you're wearing, uh, clothes?"

Archie nodded. "Yeah – sorry. Please be careful."

Rosie nodded back, then stormed over to Betty, Veronica, and the ever-disgusting Chuck Clayton and his goons.

"Whoa, whoa. Why are you so wound up?" he was saying casually. "It's a badge of honor."

"A badge of honor?" Rosie cut in angrily. "You think you can just slap that stupid image on some poor girl's face and let her suffer through the mockery and slut-shaming and call it a 'badge of honor?' You are _clearly_ misinformed."

"Oh, and look who it is," Chuck laughed darkly. "Rosie Green. Yeah, I've heard all about you from your little bro. Classy guy."

Rosie's nose scrunched at the mention of Will.

"Besides," Chuck went on, "neither you or Veronica are exactly virgin territory, especially after her romps with random rich dudes in New York and your closet date with Andrews."

"Okay, that's beyond irrelevant, Chuck," Betty chimed in forcefully. "You're not allowed to go around humiliating girls for any reason, under any circumstances, you…jerk."

Rosie nodded fervently. Betty was right.

"Look, I get you're not a closet kind of girl, but hey, if you wanna ride the Chuck wagon, that can be arranged."

Chuck cast Betty a lustful glance.

Veronica and Rosie scoffed as Betty became even more severely uncomfortable.

"Who the hell gave you the right to talk to her that way, you moronic douchebag?" demanded Rosie. "How dare you assume and cast your horrid, filthy imaginations on my friend? On any girl, for the matter of fact? You are disgusting!"

Before Chuck or any of the other football players surrounding them could respond, Veronica intervened.

"You know what, let's keep this simple so that your preppy-murderer half-brain can grasp it. Take. This. The hell. Down."

Chuck looked extremely irritated. "Okay, that high-tone, bitch attitude may have worked on the betas you dated in New York, but you're in Bulldog Territory."

Moose, including several football players around the girls, barked liked dogs. Veronica and Betty flinched. Rosie merely rolled her eyes. It was entitled jerks that Chuck that made her hate the teenage male population.

"But please, fight back," finished Chuck, amused. He brushed past Veronica. "You'll only make it harder on yourself."

Veronica went quiet, but Rosie was far from done. "The fact that you think we won't is decidedly foolish of you, Chuck."

The boy approached her with a stupid smirk on his lips, but a glint of fear in his eyes.

"Let me make this clear to you, new girl," he sneered. "You have no idea who I am and the power I hold at this school. I _dare_ you. That's right. I _dare you."_

Rosie didn't even blink. "Dare accepted. Now move so I can get out of this man-whore cave."

Chuck didn't back down but did walk forward closer to Rosie. "What the hell did you just call us?"

Now, she felt threatened. Her heart thumped louder than a drum as she was backed into a humid locker.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on Chuck's bare shoulder and pulled him aside. It was Archie – fully clothed and fully pissed off. His damp red hair stuck out in all directions.

"Back off, Chuck," he ordered, voice low. "Leave her alone."

Before the Clayton boy could respond, Archie herded the girls towards the door.

Rosie's lungs constricted as they exited the locker room. She clung to her brown leather messenger bag and large coffee for dear life.

"Chuck is an asshole, Ronnie," Archie told her. "You shouldn't have gone after him like that."

Veronica scoffed yet again. "I'm not going to let him treat women like some personal object of his! He needed to hear what we had to say as empowered women who are fighting against sexism like this."

"Veronica is right, Archie," Rosie chimed in suddenly. The two stared at her while Betty's eyes went wide.

"Chuck should not be allowed to get away with this anymore. I understand that you are not able to under these circumstances, but we will rally and charge this castle. However," continued Rosie. "Ronnie, Archie is also right."

"He is?" she questioned, eyebrows low, puzzled.

"I am?" asked Archie, surprised.

"Yes," said Rosie. "The boy's locker room is Chuck's territory. We could have gotten our point across much better, and without as many idiotic interruptions, on neutral ground like the cafeteria. We could have had equal amounts of backup in the cafeteria. The football players would have been stuck fighting against basically the whole school."

Betty finally spoke up, voice more stable now that they were out of the locker room. "I think Rosie's right, guys."

Veronica and Archie begrudgingly nodded in agreement.

Betty checked her phone. "Hey, Ronnie, Kevin wants to meet us in the lounge."

Veronica sighed and nodded. "Great. We can tell him all about our adventurous escapade to a whole new world that doesn't involve a magic carpet ride."

And with that, B & V were off down the hallway, plotting revenge against Chuck.

Archie turned towards the glasses-wearing brunette next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked for the second time that day.

Rosie adjusted her frames. "Honestly, not really. What Chuck just did was terrifying."

Her fingers shook slightly as her hand lowered back to her side.

Archie took her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. Her arms wound around his middle and her head rested on his collarbone.

"Don't worry about Chuck," he told her decidedly. "I've got your back. Literally anything you need, I'll be there."

Rosie smiled genuinely for the first time that day. Archie was such a comfort to her, emotionally and physically. Just his presence made her feel more at ease.

"Thanks, Arch."

"Anytime, Ro."

The two let go of each other and began walking down the hall towards their first classes.

"Hey, I need to tell you something," the redhead said rapidly.

"What's up?"

"I ended things with Grundy today," he told her slowly.

Rosie's head snapped to the side, her braid whipping around her like a rope. Her eyebrows shot up. "You did?"

"Yeah," he told her slowly, thinking about it deeply. "I took your advice. That was dangerous and reckless and stupid. You were right. I don't think…I don't think Grundy ever – um, I don't think she ever actually loved me."

Rosie's breath hitched in her throat. To admit that took a lot of guts. A ton, actually.

She put a hand on his elbow, halting them in their tracks in the middle of the crowded school hallway. He frowned in confusion.

"That's hard for anyone to admit, especially with it being so fresh in your mind," she explained. "But here's the truth – she probably didn't. And I know I sound like a freaking jerk saying that, and I apologize if it hurts your feelings, but it is the honest truth. From one friend to another."

Archie merely nodded and whispered an, "I know." His eyes glazed over as he looked down at his shoes.

"But, hey," she continued softly, "if you need anything, you just call me, and I'll be over in a flash. Same thing you just said to me. I've got your back, remember? You're a spectacular guy. Don't waste your time getting hung up on some lame teacher. You'll find the right girl. She's out there somewhere. I just know it. You are going to make some lucky girl so happy someday, and I can't wait to be there to support you."

At this, Archie grinned. "Thanks, Rosie. I guess the truth hurts sometimes."

Rosie chuckled. "You are so right."

* * *

Rosie entered room 220, the headquarters of the _Blue & Gold, _bewildered as to why Betty had insisted on a sudden staff meeting. The new edition had just gone out and students were eating it up. They couldn't get enough of it. The next meeting wasn't scheduled for a few more days – so why the sudden text?

The brunette expected to see some new recruits for the paper, but instead was greeted by the sight of Betty sitting alone at the editor's desk.

"Hey, Rosie," she greeted kindly. "Take a seat, please."

Rosie frowned slightly, still puzzled. "Um, alright."

She did as she was told.

"What's going on?"

Betty sighed. "After this morning's interesting turn of events, I think we need to do an exposé."

"On Chuck?" Rosie asked quickly.

The blonde nodded. "On Chuck."

"We don't have any evidence of Veronica's innocence. There's nothing to report on that readers would find valid," said Rosie reasonably. "I think he needs to be put down in terms of this stupid, sexist practice, but we can't do anything until he confesses, or until other people step forward as victims or witnesses."

Betty smiled widely. "And that is why I wanted you on the paper, Rosie."

Rosie laughed. "Because I'm the voice of reason in this weird school?"

"Because you're intuitive," Betty confirmed. "You're willing to fight for the truth and you know what that looks like in journalism."

"I appreciate the compliment," grinned Rosie. "But what's your plan for this expose?"

"Let's ask around the school. See if anyone else has experienced this firsthand. There has to be more girls out there just like Veronica who were shamed into this horrible position."

"We should see if anyone will go on record to testify against Chuck. I can bring some audio equipment from somewhere if you'd like and we can all meet after school somewhere," Rosie told her.

"That would be perfect," Betty nodded. "Alright, we'll ask around this afternoon. I'll find an empty classroom and I'll text you the room number."

"Sounds great," the brunette agreed.

"Hey, Betty, hey, Rosie," chimed a male voice from the doorway.

"Hey, Arch," smiled Betty.

Rosie whipped around in her seat to see the redhead standing in the doorway.

"What's up?" asked Rosie cheerfully.

Archie walked in and leaned against the wall next to the editor's desk where Betty and Rosie were situated.

"I just wanted to check in on you guys. You know, after this morning…"

Betty's mouth open and closed like a fish. "I, uh…I'm fine."

Rosie raised her eyebrows at the blonde, unconvinced. She was feeling a little shaky still herself.

"I'm still a little on edge," she confessed quietly. "I felt really unsafe when Chuck – ,"

The room went silent for a beat.

"I'm just glad you stepped in, Archie," she finished.

"Me too," Betty nodded. "Thanks, Arch."

A small smile played around his mouth. "You don't need to thank me. Chuck was being an asshole. I'm done letting him treat girls like that."

"So are we," Rosie told him. "That's why we're doing something about it."

"We're going to interview girls in the school who may have had similar experiences to Veronica's, whether that be with Chuck or one of the members of his group. We can't let it keep happening. It's 2017. It's time for some gender equality," Betty announced proudly.

"If there's anything I can help with, just let me know," Archie said.

"We will for sure," Rosie grinned.

Then, the bell rang. It was time for their next class.

"I'll text you where we'll meet up," Betty told the other girl as they grabbed their bags. "See you later, Archie."

"Bye," he replied as she quickly exited the room. Just Archie and Rosie were left standing there.

They walked out together, knowing it was time for Biology class – which they had together.

"So, I have some news," he began cheerfully.

Rosie glanced up at him, a small smile on her face. "What kind of news?"

"Good news," he grinned. "Cheryl got me an in with our favorite local girl band."

The brunette's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Josie and the Pussycats? What kind of in are we talking about?"

"I told Josie that we're interested in helping them write some songs and she agreed to let us in on their practices."

"How the hell did you do that?"

"Cheryl said she owed me for defending her confession of hearing that gunshot. She was kind of weird about it, but she wanted to do me a favor."

"Wow," Rosie scoffed lightly, "maybe the Tinman does have a heart after all."

Archie chuckled. "Josie wants us to meet them here tonight in the music room at 7."

"Aren't you grounded?" she asked.

The redhead shrugged. "Well, yeah, but…this is important. I'll sneak out. It's not like I haven't done it before."

This time, Rosie chuckled. "That's true."

"So, you'll come?"

"Well, duh! I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The Andrews boy grinned again. "Awesome. I'll let Josie know that you're up for it."

* * *

During Rosie's last class of the day, and, ultimately, her least favorite one, a text from Betty finally came through.

 **Room 102 – found several girls that have been harassed by the football team.**

Rosie replied quickly.

 **Cool. Talked to some girls, too. I'll bring them with.**

Rosie rounded up several of the girls she had talked to throughout the afternoon – most of them being from all different social groups. A couple girls from the River Vixens, a girl from the Academic Decathlon team, and a girl who had been labeled as a "social outcast."

The Green girl led them to Room 102, where Betty was already sitting with several others. The blonde was deep in conversation with a taller girl that wore a small ribbon tied in a bow in her reddish-brown curls. The girl with the ribbon smiled as they entered.

"Nice work, Rosie," Betty complimented as Rosie pulled up a chair next to her.

Rosie jokingly did a small salute. "Thanks, Chief."

"Rosie, this is Ethel Muggs," introduced Betty. Ethel smiled once again.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hi, I'm Rosie," the brunette replied warmly.

"Yeah, I know," said Ethel sheepishly. "I've seen you around a lot – mostly with Archie."

Rosie instantly tensed. She did her best not to make eye contact with the blonde next to her.

And just to Rosie's suspicion (although she didn't know because she purposely didn't make eye contact with her), Betty's smile had faltered, not fully reaching her eyes.

"Uh, yeah. We're, um…we've become pretty good friends. We work on music together a lot," Rosie told her, voice as normal level as possible.

"That's great," Ethel said kindly. "Rumor has it he's amazing and you're even better."

Rosie's eye twitched. "Well, that's very nice to hear, but I have to say that Archie really is spectacular. His instrumental skills are almost better than his vocals and writing."

"You're just as amazing, Ro," Betty chimed in cheerfully. "Don't sell yourself short."

Her cheeks went pink and warm from embarrassment. "Thanks, Betty. That's really nice of you to say."

Suddenly, a small ding sounded from beside Betty. It was her phone.

"That's Veronica," she announced. "She's almost here."

"Excellent," Rosie grinned. "I've got my laptop and microphone to record anyone willing to go on permanent audio record. We can show this to Principle Weatherbee along with the expose if we need to. Think of it as backup."

"That's perfect," nodded Betty. Rosie got out the equipment and quickly set it up. "Let's get started. Is anyone willing to give any information on this situation? Anybody else besides Chuck distressing innocent girls?"

"It was Reggie Mantle that harassed me," spoke up a darker-skinned girl on the left.

Rosie adjusted her headphones and microphone, checking the levels on her computer and leveling them out as needed.

"Thomas Kirk said he did stuff with me," said the blonde girl next to her timidly. "I was felt really uncomfortable."

Betty continued to write down the names as they all rattled them off. Reggie Mantle. Thomas Kirk. Moose Mason. Chuck Clayton. And one unnamed male that no one in the room had ever been troubled by, but all had heard of.

A pair of designer heels appeared in the doorway, followed by the face of a puzzled Veronica Lodge. All of the girls accused, and also Betty and Rosie, turned to face the raven-haired girl.

"This story is bigger than we thought," Betty proclaimed, disappointed. "Rosie and I started asking around to see if what happened to you happened to anyone else, and if anyone would go on record."

"And it's got to be more than just these girls here. I'm sure there are more females in this school who have been unfairly sexualized besides just the brave ones here that stepped forward and agreed to go on record," Rosie nodded.

"I will," Ethel piped up. "100%."

"Okay," Betty urged, getting her pencil ready. She turned to Veronica to give her some context. "It's five guys on the football team. Chuck and his posse."

"Surprise, surprise," Rosie murmured mindlessly as she raised the microphone.

Veronica resisted the urge to laugh at her friend's joke as Betty spoke to Ethel. "Ethel was about to tell us…"

The taller girl sighed, eyes trained on the floor. "One day last year, Chuck and I talked in the library for 10 minutes. I helped him with a Pre-Calc problem, and nothing happened. But the next day, he…He started telling people I had let him do stuff to me. Like, sex stuff. And then he…or one of his goons, wrote 'Sloppy Seconds' on my locker."

Rosie shook her head and rolled her eyes, disgusted that someone would ever do such a thing. First of all, Chuck had told an outright lie, and secondly, let his friends believe it? And not only vandalize school property, but absolutely humiliate someone for actually helping you? It was horrific and inhuman.

A cold, sharp, uninterested voice sounded from the doorframe. "Yes, yes. We've all heard your tragic origin story."

It was Riverdale High's very own, self-proclaimed Scarlett O'Hara. Her red hair glowed even under the fluorescent school lighting (which intrigued Rosie, yet made her slightly jealous).

All of them ignored her soulless comment.

"I'm so sorry, Ethel," Betty empathized. "That's horrible. I don't –"

"Not as horrible as being a suspect in your own brother's torture-murder case, but we all have our crosses," Cheryl butt in.

"Are you serious?" Rosie blurt out, frustrated. She shoved her headphones off her ears. Why the hell would you ever compare those two situations under any circumstances?

"As serious as ever, Zooey Deschanel," Cheryl spit back.

Rosie rolled her eyes for the second time that day. She must have picked that up from Rosie's favorite band in all of Riverdale – Josie and the Pussycats.

"In the meantime, River Vixens practice starts in five minutes, sluts, so…"

"They're ruining our lives and to them, it's just a game," Ethel finally choked out, offended by Cheryl's clear lack of compassion and the sheer frustration of what happened to her and the other girls. "They keep score, and…"

"Wait, what do you mean, keep score?" Veronica asked slowly.

"Each conquest earns them points," explained Ethel.

"They have the nerve to call us _conquests?"_ demanded Rosie angrily. "How the hell do they know which ones have been, quote-on-quote, 'conquered,' then?"

"They keep track in some secret playbook," answered Ethel.

Veronica and Rosie scoffed.

The other girls either clapped a hand on their mouths in shock or their jaws dropped. No one could believe what they were hearing.

"Okay, we have to talk to Weatherbee," Betty decided.

Ethel shrugged, "I already tried. Weatherbee said that he didn't find anything."

"Then it's just like Rosie said earlier – we need undeniable proof," nodded the blonde.

"Proof of what Nancy Drew? That boys will be boys?" squawked Cheryl.

"Is that really your defense of this whole debacle? Is that what you believe, Cheryl? 'That boys will be boys?'" Rosie shot back. "That is the poorest excuse for unjust actions that I have ever heard in my entire life! So, what? Girls who get raped or sexually abused aren't in the right? They just let it go because _boys will be boys?"_

The group of girls around her rallied, agreeing with her on every word.

Veronica raised her eyebrows at the Blossom girl, waiting for whatever defense she had for herself to come flowing out.

Cheryl sent Rosie a death glare as she continued. "That playbook reeks of suburban legend."

"How would you know, Cheryl?" Veronica demanded.

"Because, Frida Shallow, before he died, my brother was co-captain of the football team with Chuck, and Jason never mentioned it, and he never would've allowed it," said Cheryl resolutely.

"Okay, well, I never met your brother, but I'm not lying about what happened to me. And Ethel's not lying. And proof or no proof, book or no book, I am going scorched earth on these privileged, despicable miscreants. You wanna get caught in that backdraft, Cheryl? Call me, or any of these beautiful, young, strong, intelligent women… _slut…_ one more time," Veronica replied threateningly.

Cheryl's face went smug. "Fine. Whatever. Just hurry up with your Babysitter's Club meeting and get to practice on time. Chop chop!"

She strut away, doing her best to hide the petrified, unsure look in her eyes.

Veronica spun on her heel, shoulders held high in triumph.

"Listen," she told everyone gently, "I am so, so proud to be a part of this group of women. We will find a way for us all to feel safe at Riverdale High again, but right now, Betty and Rosie could really benefit from your stories. I, for one, am glad to go on record. And I hope that you will agree to do the same – to show other girls in this school that they are not alone. To show girls like Cheryl and boys like Chuck and his hoodlums that equality starts now. We will not tolerate this any longer. But it's up to you. Please be a part of our mission and our movement."

There was a moment of silence as the other girls contemplated the message.

Rosie smiled and gave the Lodge girl a thumbs up.

Veronica smiled back.

"I'll go on record," said the River Vixen next to Rosie.

"I will, too," said the other.

"I'm done letting my voice be pushed down," said the blonde in the front. "I'm all in."

And soon enough, every single girl in the room, including Veronica, willingly agreed to have their statements written and their stories recorded.

After a very successful meeting, Betty, Rosie, and Veronica hung around in the room.

"That was incredible," Betty said in awe. "All of those girls, including you, Ronnie, are so brave."

"They're shedding their chrysalis and growing into monarchs," Veronica said proudly.

"Very elegant way of putting things," chuckled Rosie, carefully placing her microphone and laptop back in her messenger sling bag.

"You know," Betty said thoughtfully, "I was thinking…"

"That's dangerous," Rosie joked.

But Betty was so lost in thought, she didn't notice it. "We need to find that playbook."

Veronica nodded fiercely. "We do. We need to find it tonight. We should come after hours and search their lockers. I'll bet you my entire Louis Vuitton handbag collection that Weatherbee only looked at the covers of all the books in their lockers, not the content. If we find the book, we can get Chuck and the other football players involved in some kind of disciplinary trouble."

Rosie sighed. "I've got Pussycats rehearsal with Archie."

The blonde's eyebrows shot up. "You have to go to Josie's band rehearsal? With Archie?"

"Cheryl got us an in with Josie," the brunette explained. "She said she owed Archie some kind of favor for testifying on her behalf to Weatherbee and Sheriff Keller."

"Why Pussycats rehearsal?" Veronica questioned, confused.

"Archie thought it would be good for us to write for other bands. We both need to expand our horizons when it comes to genre and style. The Pussycats are different than we are in terms of both of those, but they could also benefit for some branching out," relayed Rosie.

"Then we'll definitely keep you updated on what we find," Betty told her.

"Thanks," smiled Rosie. She checked her phone. "Ugh, I've got to get some homework finished before rehearsal tonight. I told Jughead I'd meet him at Pop's to go over some Biology stuff. I'll see you to tomorrow."

The Cooper girl and the Lodge girl waved goodbye as Rosie quickly grabbed all of her belongings and started on her way to Pop's.

When she reached the diner, she spotted the crown-shaped, gray beanie through the red and blue haze of the neon sign reflected off the window.

She approached the counter, ordered her usual from Pop, and slumped into the seat across from Jughead.

"Rosie," Jughead nodded, not taking his eyes off his laptop screen.

"Hey, Jug," she greeted, pulling her Biology notebook out of her bag. "How's your book coming?"

"Steadily," he replied, distracted. "Cheryl getting interrogated by her own parents, the sheriff, the principal…it's literary gold."

"That's good. And how is your part of the project coming along?"

"Fine. Not as interesting as Jason's murder, but it's getting there. You know, I've never been a fan of silver metallic sharpies when drawing mitochondria, but this is high school."

Rosie chuckled. "I'm not a fan of high school in general."

Jughead's eyes met hers over his computer, amused. "Same. It's a crowd of hormonal teenagers who have nothing better to do than bury their noses in useless textbooks and pointless social drama that doesn't help us learn anything except that people are stupid."

"And speaking of stupid people," Rosie continued on. "I don't know if Archie told you, but –,"

"He and Grundy are over," he finished. "Yeah, I was relieved to say the least."

The Green girl nodded. "You can say that again."

"I also did some digging on Dilton Doiley," he told her. "It turns out that he fired the gun on July fourth."

"Are you serious?" Rosie said quickly, eyebrows rising up past her bangs.

"Completely. He was teaching his scouts how to use a rifle for survival purposes," he replied solemnly. "I got one of his scouts to confess just before you got here."

"Have you told Betty yet?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I thought it might be better to tomorrow, after this whole Chuck Clayton and his band of merry men had been thrown into the open air."

"Well, from what I know, Betty and Veronica are searching the school tonight for the sexist 'playbook' where they keep track of all their 'encounters' with girls. We should have that crap airing out by morning," said Rosie.

"Are you not joining them?"

"No, I'm actually going to Josie's band rehearsal with Archie."

Jughead scoffed. "Of course, you are."

Pop appeared with Rosie's usual order – a grilled cheese with curly fries, honey mustard, and a mint milkshake – which put a halt on their conversation.

Rosie squirmed uncomfortably as Jughead's previous comment echoed through her mind.

When Pop was thanked, he went back to counter. As soon as he was out of earshot, Rosie's nose scrunched in puzzlement.

"What does that mean?"

"Exactly what I said it does."

Rosie shook her head. "I honestly don't understand."

"It means that I would expect nothing less, Rosie," he explained patiently. "You're Archie's new best friend. And he possibly is interested in you."

Rosie couldn't help but laugh. "Jug, you're still Archie's best friend. Nothing is going to change that. Also…he's not interested in me. Not at all."

"Not that you know of."

"I know he isn't."

"How can you be sure?"

Rosie became slightly exasperated. "Jughead, Archie is not interested in me. We're music partners and good friends. That's it."

Jughead raised his eyebrows at her, almost entertained. "Okay, okay. You're friends. But just as a warning – it will turn into something more. I know Archie. You're not going to stay 'just good friends' for long; not with that friend being someone like you."

Rosie shook her head, trying not to let Jughead's words get to her. "Whatever, Jug. Let's just focus on the project."

For the rest of her time spent with Jughead at Pop's, his words kept floating through her mind. She mentally sneered at the mention of Jughead's prediction of becoming more than friends with Archie. That would be absolutely, positively, _spectacularly_ ridiculous…right?

* * *

 **Wow, it's been awhile. Sorry, guys! I feel like I say that after every single update lol…**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter. I got terrible writer's block in the middle, but I managed to pull through and finish it in about a week. Let me know what you think in a review!** **I'll be answering some right now:**

GirlyGamer1986: Thanks! We'll have to see, huh? 😉

flazzy cullen: Dude, same.

10868letsgo: I can promise you that Rosie's family will in fact get what is coming to them at some point – whether or not that be anytime soon. Rosie will definitely continue to become better friends with the core four and, of course, my fave, Kevin! Thanks for reading!

clemhood1437: Haha, thanks! 😊

 **Please remember to favorite, follow, and review if you're enjoying this story! It would mean so much. I'll be able to continue writing more in a couple weeks. I'll hopefully have at least 1-3 chapters written and published in December, so keep an eye out for them!**


	10. May I Remind You

Chapter 10: "May I Remind You…"

* * *

 _I fill your pillow case up with snakes_

 _The man-eating kind_

 _Though you call yourself a woman_

 _I doubt it they would mind_

 _Oh my, oh_

 _Oh my_

Drawing Board by George Ezra

* * *

"And how on earth did you sneak out without having your dad notice?"

Rosie and Archie strolled into the school, laughing about the redhead's parental grounding ordeal.

"Very carefully," said Archie, amused.

"Let me guess," joked Rosie dramatically, "you set up a state-of-the-art landing pad and chucked your guitar out the window, which fell softly and unharmed onto that pad. Then, you ninja-rolled out your window, leapt across the roof, and slid down the tree to safety – somehow avoiding all the branches and twigs. And then you snuck away, disappearing into the shadows; footsteps quieter than a sleeping mouse!"

Archie laughed again as Rosie chuckled. "Yep. That's definitely what I did."

"I thought so," she replied, grinning.

"How was Pop's with Jughead?" he asked, changing the subject.

Rosie's cheeks went slightly pink at her mind raced back to her conversation with the beanie-wearing boy about her relationship with Archie.

 _"Okay, okay. You're friends. But just as a warning – it will turn into something more. I know Archie. You're not going to stay 'just good friends' for long; not with that friend being someone like you."_

She avoided eye contact as she responded. "It was fine. We got our project done."

There was a pause in the conversation. Archie glanced over at the brunette with an expression that could only be interpreted as unbelieving.

"Fine? Since when do you describe anything as fine, Ro?"

Rosie simply shrugged, still evading the Andrews boy's eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Archie stopped in his tracks, gaze trained on the back of her head.

The Green girl halted at his words. That was first time she had ever lied to him. Her stomach full of grilled cheese, fries, and milkshake churned uncomfortably. She _hated_ lying to anyone, and it seemed to especially affect her when she tried to lie to Archie.

She spun on her heel to face him, backtracking so she was next to him again. She inhaled deeply.

"Jughead just suggested some things that made me feel...confused."

Archie's thick eyebrows scrunched together. "Confused? What do you mean?"

Rosie didn't want to get deep into the pool of feelings that was accumulating for the boy beside her; especially to him, of all people. Whatever she was feeling for him was rapidly turning into friendship – the best friendship she'd possibly ever had – but was also beginning to admire him for other reasons. It had been a long time since Rosie had had a crush on someone. And a crush on someone so obviously out of her league and too good for her? It chilled her to the bone thinking of the kind of rejection this possible crush would bring.

She decided that instead of telling Archie the depth to which Jughead's comments shook her, she would only tell him that the Jones boy had simply predicted their relationship furthering and that she was confused as to how he came to that notion.

"Well, he said that you and I seemed like more than friends to him," she relayed slowly, "and I'm just confused how he jumped to that conclusion or what we did, or what we do, that would make him think such a thing."

Little did Rosie know, Archie was also internally conflicted about his feelings for Rosie. He was still getting over Grundy, so throwing another girl into the mix was making his emotions swirl together like oil and water. He didn't know what to feel for Rosie and his heart still ached for the loss of Geraldine. She had really taken a hold on him, and to have taken it back so quickly still hurt. Deep down, he knew Jughead's prophesizing was spot on. But they weren't to that point yet. Archie wasn't sure they would ever to get to that point, but he hoped. And, at that moment in time, he was also confused, but didn't want to get rejected from something like a small crush. And a crush on Rosie was an entirely different experience than a crush on Grundy or any other girl from before. Rosie was too good for him, and he knew it.

So instead of admitting his emotional discombobulation, Archie nodded and agreed with Rosie. But inside, he felt slightly let down.

"Yeah, that's weird," he nodded. "But Ro, you don't need to feel confused. Jughead thinks I'm some kind of womanizer. You know, a crush every time a new girl walks in. We've talked about what we mean to each other. Don't feel confused. There's no need to. You're my best friend now. There's no changing that. Jug can think what he wants."

Rose smiled, feeling more reassured in her friendship. But, in the back of her mind, she was slightly disappointed. She knew that this possible crush could turn into a full blown, heart wrenching, desperate, one-sided love. So instead of letting it blossom into just that, she pushed it away and tried not to think of it for a very long time.

"Thanks, Archie. That makes me feel better," she told him, happy to take those words to heart.

"You know, it's funny," he said as they began to walk towards the music room again.

"What is?"

"Usually, it's you giving me advice on something stupid I did…or might do."

"Friendships are give and take, Arch, not just give. It's nice to take after typically only giving. Thanks for giving."

"No problem, Ro."

As they entered the music room, the two occupants inside froze.

"Hey, it's wannabe Zoey Deschanel and Justin Gingerlake," said the girl on the right, smirking.

"Josie told us you'd be here," said the other girl.

"Melody and Valerie, right?" Archie asked, setting his guitar case down.

The two girls nodded.

"This is Rosie," he introduced. "I'm Archie."

"Oh, Rosie Green?" Melody questioned, pointing a drumstick at the brunette as she took a seat next to Archie.

Rosie frowned slightly, wondering how she had heard of her. "Yeah. Do you know my brother?"

"Oh, no, I've followed your SoundCloud since after you barged in on Pussycats rehearsal the first day of school," Melody replied. "You're incredible."

Before Rosie could respond, Valerie jumped in.

"Dang, _you're_ Rosie Green? Mel showed me your stuff. Your lyrics are fire."

"Wow, thank you both," said Rosie graciously. "I appreciate it. And I have to say, I think you're really going to like what Archie brings to the table, too. You should definitely check out his SoundCloud."

"You do similar stuff to Rosie?" asked Valerie, leaning onto a stool and picking up a bass guitar.

"It's more of a folk-pop sound than Rosie's, but kind of," Archie replied.

"Was your page linked to hers at some point? You wrote The Song that Everyone Sings, right? The one that she produced?" Valerie wondered.

Archie's face lit up. "Yeah, that's the one. And you – you liked it?"

"Absolutely," Melody replied quickly.

"It was killer," Valerie agreed.

Valerie went back to tuning her bass, while Melody mimed drumming a beat in the air.

Archie took out his guitar while Rosie plunked a couple notebooks and several pens onto the music stand in front of her. She laid the stand flat like a desk so she could write lyric ideas in her notebook.

"So, Josie is the frontman of the band?" Rosie pondered, breaking the silence.

The two girls looked up from their instruments.

"She also plays lead guitar. Melody's our technique queen," Valerie gladly replied.

Archie and Rosie grinned as Melody gave them a flick of her drumstick.

"And you're the songwriter?" the ginger asked. Valerie nodded. "Rosie and I would love to…"

Before Archie could finish his sentence, the door flew open, then slammed closed, clicking into place. Josie had arrived.

"Love to what?" she questioned, almost suspiciously.

Rosie's eyebrows raised slightly as the two other band members went back to their own instruments, faces turned away from Josie. What kind of show did the lead singer run here? Was she unreasonable? Did she have control of this whole debacle? Why did the other girls look unwilling to hold their heads up high?

"That's the real question," she continued, setting her own things down by the door, her eyes trained directly on Archie. "What exactly you expect to get out of this experience."

"Short version. I just want to hear you guys play my songs. Making them better. Recording them," Archie replied immediately.

Josie quirked an eyebrow, turning her eyes on Rosie. "What about you? You seem experienced enough to know the industry from what I've heard. What do _you_ expect to gain from this?"

"I need to expand my horizons," the Green girl replied confidently. "I have a distinct writing style. I know that. But I'm stuck. I've got some writer's block when it comes to new ideas. Your band's style is different than mine and I want to be able to learn from your writing. If I can help write music that's not my own and not Archie's, I think I'll be able to further my own style and even write for others someday. Maybe I can help write some of your songs, too."

Valerie and Melody nodded just enough to let the two others know that they understood them and liked what they had to say. But Josie's response was different and unexpected.

"So, the two of you feel qualified to write songs for the Pussycats?"

Rosie shrugged. "Why not?"

"Y-yeah, why not?" mirrored Archie, much more hesitantly.

"For divas of color?"

The two bandmembers looked at each other like they knew a storm was coming.

Rosie frowned, pausing. "Well, no."

"No…m-maybe? I don't know," Archie chimed in.

For the first time outside of her own house, Rosie felt unsure of herself. Her family were usually the people that made her feel inefficient and not worthy, but to feel it in school? It made her heart sink and her mood worsen.

"Look, this isn't LA or New York, this is Riverdale, and people's minds are opening up, but do you have any idea how much hate mail my mom got when she was elected mayor?" Josie scoffed.

The brunette merely shook her head, adjusting her glasses as she went.

"I campaigned for your mom. I get it," Archie spoke up.

"No, no, no, baby, you don't," she shut him down. "I mean, do you know why we're called the Pussycats? Because we have to claw our way into the same rooms that you can just waltz into. Now, Zoey Deschanel here knows more about this than you do. And it's similar to what she'll have to deal with, too. But even you, Zoey, will have an easier time than me and my girls. So, if you two think you can write my experience…"

"Josie?" Valerie cut her off, obviously feeling that the frontman was taking things too far.

"It's okay, Valerie," Archie said. "She's right."

"100%," Rosie chimed in.

"Good," nodded Josie, content with the responses. "Now, I need your real name, Zoey. I can't keep calling you Zoey."

"I'm Rosie," the glasses-wearing girl replied warmly. "Nice to finally meet you."

Josie seemed to recognize the name. "Oh, Rosie Green? I know your brother."

Rosie's mood sunk just a little more. She tried to not sound bitter. "Spectacular."

"Between you and me, he's a bit of kiss ass," Josie told her bluntly.

Rosie found herself laughing. "A bit? He's an A-list kiss ass and everyone knows it."

The rest of the band and Archie laughed with her.

"You can say that again," Archie chuckled, nudging Rosie with his elbow.

Rosie just shook her head at him playfully and turned back to the Pussycats.

"Right," Josie began, "tonight's agenda. We've been asked by my mom to play at the Taste of Riverdale in the community center this Thursday night, and we need new material. People are getting tired of our old sets. We need to write at least one new song this week if not more."

"Is Dilton doing sound this weekend? He'll need to be here on Thursday for tech run-throughs if he is," Valerie asked.

Josie groaned. "No, he said he's too busy with his Adventure Scouts."

"What about Rosie?" Melody suggested, gesturing to the Green girl.

"You did do a good job at the pep rally," Josie considered. "And you'll already be here with Archie all week. You in?"

Rosie was slightly taken aback. "You really want me to do sound for you guys?"

"It helps having another musician with a good ear balancing everything out on our sound boards," Valerie told her.

"That it does," Josie agreed.

"Well, then I can't say no, can I?" she smiled. "Sure, I'll do it."

"Perfect! Dilton always made the cymbals a little too loud for my liking, anyways," Josie said. "Alright, moving on. I've already put together a set list. Let's practice the ones we know well first and then get to writing new songs."

The band got in their places, ready to play.

"One, two, three, four…"

Archie studied Rosie carefully as she watched the Pussycats, a small smile gracing her lips. He turned away, shoving his feelings down and trying to forget them. He knew that Jughead was right. This could very easily turn into something more than friendship, but he wasn't ready for that yet, and wasn't sure Rosie would ever be.

Meanwhile, in Rosie's mind, she knew that someday, she would be ready to let her own feelings roam free.

But not now. Not anytime soon.

Someday…when everything was right with the world.

Little did either of them know, nothing would ever be right in the world – at least in Riverdale.

* * *

The next night, Josie, the Pussycats, Archie, and Rosie sat around in the music room, poring over possible lyrics for the band's new song.

While the third and second verses and the chorus had been written and edited to perfection, there was a struggle with the first.

"Val, you are such a poet, but these lyrics? They don't make sense. What is the hook? I mean, I need a line that catches," Josie retorted, frustrated.

"I hear that," Valerie agreed, nodding.

Rosie tugged on her oversized, dark orange sweater sleeves, ruffling the fabric as her eyes scanned the sheets. The lyrics replayed over and over again her mind, repeating on a cycle.

"I've been struggling," the bassist adds.

"What about 'paintings in the wind?'" suggested Melody, trying to be helpful.

Josie, Valerie, and Rosie considered the line, mulling it over for a moment.

Suddenly, Archie jumped in. "How about 'paintings on her skin?'"

"I kinda dig that," Val nodded, looking over at Josie for approval.

Rosie immediately had an idea, Archie's proposal instantly sparking up in her mind.

"And instead of 'colors in the air,' it's 'colors in her hair?'" she said quickly, searching over the verse on her paper. "It fits in better with that and it adds to the physical description of 'paintings on her skin' while still rhyming with the next stanza when it ends with 'stop and stare.'"

"It's kind of perfect," Melody smirks. "Josie?"

Josie leaned against the edge of the drum kit, eyes skimming over the two outsiders. She held a skeptical expression on her face, but walked forward, cleared her throat, and said, "All right. Let's, uh, take it from the top. One, two, one, two, three..."

" _Paintings on her skin,_

 _colors in her hair._

 _Come around the corner,_

 _make you stop and stare._

 _She don't pay no mind_

 _cause she don't really care_

 _what you think about her,_

 _think about her."_

The grins on Rosie and Archie's faces grew exponentially as their new lyrics were sung.

" _I don't care what you want me to be._

 _Cause it ain't for you,_

 _No, it's all for me."_

Rosie laughed, so excited to hear all their hard work finally pay off. The verse was very successful.

Archie leaned back in his chair, an earsplitting grin on his face. "That was…that was so good."

"The dream team strikes again," joked Rosie, high-fiving the boy next to her.

Valerie and Melody smiled, too. Even Josie looked pleased with how well the lyrics worked in the song.

"What else you got?" smirked the front man.

Archie and Rosie snapped back to the lyrics in front of them.

"Uh, I was thinking maybe we could invert the second verse," he suggested.

"And the third," the brunette added, tapping the paper with a pencil. The ginger nodded.

"And the third," he confirmed.

"You guys are quite the songwriting duo," Josie said slyly, quirking an eyebrow at the two. "But I like it. Nice work."

Archie and Rosie trudged back to the Andrews house together, adrenaline pumping from a very fruitful writing session.

"We crushed it, Ro," he laughed.

"We definitely crushed it, Arch," she replied, equally as overjoyed as they entered his garage. "I thought Josie was going to stomp on our heads and our brains would gush out because she's that terrifying and controlling. But that was spectacular! Honestly, super spectacular!"

The two froze when they realized that they weren't the only people in the garage. Fred Andrews stood by the back door, a look of disappointment etched onto his face.

The positive feeling Rosie had immediately plummeted. She knew they were about to get in a boatload of trouble.

She and Archie shared a worried expression.

"Welcome home, Ferris. I see you've brought Sloane with you," said Fred, voice firm.

The Ferris Bueller reference only made Rosie feel worse.

"Sneaking out, breaking curfew, getting into fights…revamping my garage into a music studio? When did this happen? And where the hell did you get all of this equipment?"

Rosie winced. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Dad, don't freak out, okay. Rosie and I were helping Josie and the Pussycats with a song they're doing at that Taste of Riverdale thing," Archie explained quickly.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Andrews," she blurted out. "This is my recording equipment. Archie and I have been using it to record our music. More importantly, Archie offered to let me store it here in your garage. My mom refused to let me have it in the house."

Fred's face softened at the mention of Rosie's home life. He exhaled slowly. "You two could have asked me if you could set up in here."

"We're sorry, Dad," Archie apologized. "You know how Rosie's mom can be."

"I do," he nodded. He turned to the Green girl and told her politely, "Rosie, Archie and I need to talk. Why don't you head home? Do you need me to drive you?"

Rosie slowly shook her head, her braid whipping over her shoulder. "No, I'm okay. Thank you, Mr. Andrews. Have a good night. See you tomorrow, Archie."

She patted his arm gently, then turned and exited the garage.

Her eyes widened as she rapidly started on her route back to her house. She couldn't shake the awkwardness that radiated from the situation in Archie's garage.

Meanwhile, Archie and his father argued.

There was a moment of silence after the door clicked closed behind Rosie.

"You should be grateful I didn't chew you out while she was still in here," Fred told him decisively. "She helped you sneak out. I don't know how happy I am with you two being friends right now."

"She's alone in the world, Dad," Archie cut in defensively. "I am one of the only people she feels comfortable around. We confide in each other about everything. Rosie hasn't done anything wrong. She didn't help me sneak out. I convinced her to come with me. We always met at the school, not here, not her house. It's all my fault. Please don't be mad at her."

Fred watched his son with a narrowed gaze. "What has she told you, son?"

"I don't know if I can tell you," Archie said warily. "It's not my story to share."

"If she's being abused, I need to know," retorted Fred instantly. "I know she's not cared for, but if she's being physically abused, we can get her out of that situation."

"Not that I know of," Archie shook his head. "But honestly, Dad, we were just helping write that song. And I was hoping you'd let me go to the Taste of Riverdale so I can help Rosie with the soundboard and hear the song we helped write."

This time, it was Fred shaking his head. "No, Archie. You don't get to go wherever you want, whenever you want, and damn what anyone else says – even if you're also supporting one of your friends."

Archie groaned. "Dad, this is the first time a song I worked on is gonna be performed in front of people. On stage. Please, let me go to this, and then ground me for the next six months, a year."

"We're not haggling over your punishment, end of story!"

"Fine, but you have to own it."

Archie whirled around, reaching for the handle of the garage door.

"Own what?"

The redhead reeled, sputtering as he turned back to his father. "Okay, if I had a football game tomorrow night, would you stop me from going?"

Fred stammered, unsure of his answer.

"No," Archie continued, "because you understand, you respect. But my music, since I told you about it, you don't care. You don't take it seriously. If you press enter, you'll hear my latest song produced by Rosie. If you just listened, you'd understand why this is so important to me."

"This is not about my behavior. This is about _your_ behavior. We're done here."

Archie inhaled sharply and decided to say nothing. He left quickly, doing his best not to slam the door on the way out.

Fred sighed, his hands running over his face. He contemplated what Archie had said. His latest song was just a keyboard away.

Despite his better judgement, he pressed the enter button on the laptop's keyboard.

The Song that Everyone Sings began to play softly through the portable speakers.

Maybe there was some truth to Archie's words. But Fred didn't think about that. He just listened.

* * *

The next day at school, Rosie caught up with Betty and Veronica about their findings from the night before.

The girls gathered in the _Blue & Gold _headquarters. Betty sat behind the editor's desk, while Veronica and Rosie sat in front of her.

"You have to see this, Ro," Veronica told her as Betty handed the brunette her phone. "We have all the proof we need to write a cutting-edge exposé."

Rosie gasped as she flicked through the few frames Betty had captured. There it was. Plain as day. Chuck Clayton and his posse were guilty. Stone cold, light as the sun, in your face guilty. And there was no denying that his gang of clowns were just as sinful as he was.

"There it is," she said quietly. "Everything we need to take him down."

Betty and Veronica shared a smile as Rosie handed back the cell.

"So, what's next?"

The blonde and raven-haired girls shared another look, this one more suspicious than the last.

"What?" Rosie wondered. "Is there something that you aren't telling me?"

"Yes," Veronica replied slowly. "Betty has a plan. Absolutely full dark, no stars."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

"We didn't think you would," Betty told her. "But it has to be done. Chuck needs to know that no girl at Riverdale High, or anywhere, can be treated the way he treated Veronica, me, and you."

Rosie sighed. "What is this full dark, no stars scheme of yours then?"

"We set a trap, Chuck fell for it hook, line, and sinker. We're getting him to confess. Tonight," Betty explained.

"It might be better if you don't know the juicy details," said Veronica.

Rosie nodded in understanding. "If you get in trouble, then my name won't come up and I won't be roped in. Got it. But seriously, let me know if something happens. I can always vouch for you. I'm not the best liar on planet Earth, but I'll do my best."

Betty smiled. "Thanks, Ro. Tell us, how have rehearsals with the Pussycats been going?"

"Honestly, they've been incredible," the brunette responded quickly. "Archie and I helped them write a song for the Taste of Riverdale tonight. I'm running the soundboard for them, too."

"I'm glad you're finding your niche," said Veronica.

"What about you? What's your niche, Ronnie?" Rosie asked.

"River Vixen, assistant detective to the _Blue & Gold _editor. But I'm sure there's more I've yet to discover."

Rosie smiled. "Well, it looks like the two new girls at Riverdale High are more normal than the student body originally thought."

Betty chuckled. "New students show up and everyone acts like Martians have taken over the town."

"How do they know we're not?" joked Rosie. "For all they know, we've simply hidden our tentacles and antenna with a cloaking device."

All three laughed.

Rosie's mind rewound back to the night before. Her face fell. The other two noticed.

"Are you okay?" wondered the blonde.

This statement made the Green girl chuckle slightly. "I certainly get asked that question a lot. I've just got a lot on my mind. I think Mr. Andrews is upset with me."

Veronica frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Archie's been grounded, and he's been sneaking out to meet with me for the Pussycats' rehearsals. Last night, we went back to his garage to drop off our guitars and his dad was there. He was just waiting there for us. He'd discovered all my recording equipment and figured out that it must have been me and Archie that did it. He wasn't happy with Archie when we walked through the door. Archie defended me, though, and Mr. Andrews was kind enough to not yell at him in front of me. But he did say that he wasn't fond of us being friends at the moment."

"Rosie, I'm sure Mr. Andrews isn't angry with you," Betty reassured her.

"Yeah, from the smallest snippet I've heard about Fred Andrews, he seems rational and probably was just worried about Archie," Veronica chimed in.

Rosie nodded, smiling. "Thanks, guys. I'm just a little worried."

"If there's any parent you need to worry about, it's mine. She can be a bit, uh…overbearing," replied Betty.

"She's not happy with me, either, is she?"

Betty cleared her throat. "Not exactly."

"Is going to be at the Taste of Riverdale, too?"

The Cooper girl nodded slowly.

Rosie exhaled. Veronica was amused.

"Misconceptions have their consequences," Veronica added.

Rosie and Betty giggled a little, entertained with the idea that the whole Rosie-and-Archie-in-the-closet situation still hadn't blown over with Alice Cooper, even if everyone actually involved was fine and dandy.

"I think Kevin said he was going," Veronica continued. "I'm sure he'd love a friend to stick with."

Sure enough, as Rosie lugged in sound equipment with Josie and the Pussycats, Kevin arrived.

"Rosie!" he called with a smile.

The glasses-clad girl carefully lowered the speaker onto the stage as the Keller boy approached. She straightened her oversized, gray sweater which had bunched up as she heaved the heavy speaker into the community center.

"What's up, Kev?" she grinned, happy to see him.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in days," he replied. "Been holed up with Archie doing…stuff?" There was a strange, yet hopeful glint in his eye.

Rosie chuckled. "If by 'stuff' you mean writing songs with the Pussycats, then yes, we've been doing…'stuff.'"

"You know, I'm starting to doubt this 'Barchie' stuff," he said, leaning against the edge of the stage.

"'Barchie?'"

"You know, Betty and Archie? 'Barchie?' It's their ship name. But you have converted me into a 'Rarchie' shipper."

"Wait, hold your horses. You've got a ship name for me and Archie?" Rosie stammered.

"Maybe 'Rorchie' is better? Hmmm, no, I think 'Rarchie' is where it's at. Yep, I ship Rarchie."

Rosie laughed. "I don't understand this town at all. First Jughead, now you? Why do people think we should get together?"

"Look, this is a small town. We get bored! There's not much else for us to do," Kevin explained.

"The depth of thinking in this town is amazing," she joked. "Constantly asking yourselves, 'which high school kids should we try to stick together now?' and 'how many coffee shops can we open before all the citizens are in the hospital dying of heart attacks because of all the caffeine?'"

She moved around him to grab more equipment as he chuckled.

"Ha ha, very funny, Ro. But you're not off very far with the coffee thing…" Kevin pondered.

"But seriously, Kev, Archie and I are friends and nothing more."

The Keller boy sighed dramatically. "Come on, how can you say no to that face and those abs?"

Rosie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Is that all you think about? Archie Andrews' abs?"

He shrugged defensively. "What's wrong with that?"

"Maybe because the boy actually has brains?" said the Green girl obviously, crouching to pick up three coils of wire.

Kevin rolled his eyes and scoffed, begrudgingly picked up a cardboard box and trudged after her.

"But who needs brains when you have brawn?" he continued to suggest.

Rosie laughed again. "Kevin, I appreciate your love for beautifully sculpted men, but I prefer getting to know someone's personality before I start finding them completely attractive."

Kevin's eyes lit up. "So you admit that you find a guy – or girl – ,"

"A guy," Rosie chuckled. "But I like the inclusion."

"Fine, I was trying not to assume anything," Kevin sighed again dramatically, "so you admit that you do find guys attractive based solely off their physical features?"

"Well, of course. I'm not blind. But before I find someone completely and utterly attractive, I need to see how beautiful their personality is, too."

Kevin groaned as they paced into the community center and through the halls to the main event hall.

"So? Archie is a great guy."

At this point, Rosie was tired of the constant questioning. "Kev, can we talk about something else? I know you've got my best interests in mind when it comes to my sad love life, but I feel like I've been interrogated by Jughead enough already."

As placed the boxes down at the sound booth, Kevin's face twisted into a small smirk.

"Jughead's been talking to you about Archie?" There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Rosie narrowed her eyes as him as she began to place wires and cords around the booth. Her suspicion grew.

"What kind of look is that?"

The Keller boy shrugged innocently. "What look?"

"Kev, you're a terrible liar."

"And so are you. You obviously find Archie attractive."

She ignored that statement, no matter how true it may be. "Is Jughead's involvement in this a positive or negative thing?"

Kevin raised his shoulders up and down for a second time,

Rosie decided to drop it. It was clear she wasn't getting any answers out of the sheriff's son. Instead, she laughed. "Whatever, Kev."

Both teens knew the subject had been worn out and continued with setting up the sound booth for Josie and the Pussycats.

As they chit-chatted over hooking up the soundboard and speakers onstage, a fuming Ms. Grundy stomped over.

"Mr. Keller," she greeted. Her tone tightened as she laid her eyes on Rosie. "Ms. Green."

"Hi, Ms. Grundy," Kevin replied, confusion lacing his voice.

"Kevin, I was wondering if I could talk to Rosie privately."

The two teens' eyes flickered to teach other skeptically.

"Um, sure," said Rosie uncomfortably.

"I'll go see if Pop needs any help setting up his booth," said Kevin. He shot Rosie another worried glance, then smiled politely at the music teacher as he strode away.

"Is everything okay, Ms. Grundy?" Rosie attempted to brighten up the conversation.

Grundy's eyebrows lowered, her eyes narrowing and jaw clenching. Her voice lowered to a rasp whisper. "What. The. _Hell_ do you think you're doing with Archie Andrews?"

To this, Rosie chuckled nervously. "What do you mean, Ms. Grundy? We're friends." She realized that she needed Grundy to believe she knew nothing of the previous relationship between her and Archie.

"You bitch," the teacher spat.

Rosie inhaled sharply. She did her best to keep her emotions in check. Her heartbeat began to pound like a drum in her ears. "Excuse me? Aren't you a teacher? You shouldn't be calling students bitches to their face, Ms. Grundy. Besides, it's no business of yours who Archie is friends with."

Grundy's voice dipped further into a deep whisper. "You told Archie to end our relationship, didn't you?"

Rosie squared her shoulders. "Lots of people told him to end it. You do realize what could have happened if you were caught?"

"I don't _care_ about what ifs at the moment, Ms. Green. _You_ are the reason our relationship is over."

"I thought you were an adult, Ms. Grundy. You should be more mature than this. Archie is still a teenager and legally a child. You have no idea how much you've messed with his head." She was as calm as could be, even though Grundy was not only angering her, but also making her somewhat terrified.

"We were in love!"

"I believe what Archie was feeling is called Stockholm Syndrome."

"You're unbelievable!"

"And, may I remind you, Ms. Grundy, that you are a _teacher."_

"Which means, may I remind _you,_ that I can make your life a living hell."

"My life doesn't revolve around your choir."

"But it does revolve around Archie."

Rosie scoffed. "Actually, Ms. Grundy, my life revolves around music. Unlike you, I don't need a man – or in your case, a little boy – to feel complete."

"Just stay away from Archie," Grundy spit back.

"You have no control over who I hang out with, Ms. Grundy," Rosie retorted. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got to finish this set up for Josie and the Pussycats."

And with that, the Green girl turned her back on the teacher and walked back out of the community center. She pretended that there was more equipment she needed to grab, but instead, she hurried out the doors and leaned against a large tree.

She gasped for air, heart continuing to beat faster and faster. She braced herself against the bark, hands scraping against the trunk.

Kevin came rushing through the double doors, heading whipping around.

"Rosie!" he called. He put a hand on her shoulder. "What the hell did Grundy say?"

The brunette glanced up, eyes cloudy. "She threatened me, Kev. She legitimately threatened me."

"No. Way," he breathed.

"Way."

"What are you going to do?"

* * *

 **Wow! It's been a hot minute since I've updated this story! I'm so sorry I haven't been actively updating. I do have a good excuse – I just finished up my university degree! I'm working on doing some extra stuff so I can get a job somewhat soon, so I won't be updating again for a little while, but I'll do my best to continue working on it.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you SO much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. I am BLOWN AWAY by your amazing reviews and love for this story. Thank all so much! :)**


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